USTelecom Statement on Open Internet NPRM
Background: Today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his intent to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at the Commission’s October meeting that could significantly expand the role of the federal government in the day-to-day operations of the Internet.
The following statement is from Walter B. McCormick Jr., President and CEO of USTelecom:
“We were encouraged to hear the Chairman’s support of case-by-case enforcement and, more generally, by his assurances that we will have an open, inclusive and data-driven proceeding and that the details haven’t been pre-determined. We do, however, remain concerned about the law of unintended consequences and a rulemaking that potentially goes too far. All Americans enjoy an open and free Internet today. And, I believe we all share the goal of ensuring our nation has a robust and innovative Internet in the future. The broadband industry is a bright spot for deployment, employment and economic growth, and we are committed to doing business in ways that are consistent with reasonable network management and transparency. We will engage in this process, and we appreciate the Chairman’s remarks today that he welcomes this participation. We will proceed with an open mind, but we also believe the bar needs to be set very high when it comes to additional government interventions that could potentially disrupt the tremendous innovation and investment that have defined U.S. broadband for the past several years under the FCC’s existing open Internet principles.”
The United States Telecom Association, USTelecom, is the premier broadband trade association representing service providers
and suppliers for the telecom industry. USTelecom represents companies offering a wide range of services across the communications
platforms, including voice, video and data over local exchange, long distance, wireless, Internet and cable services.