For some time, the FCC has been gathering input on this issue. Yesterday’s workshop grew out of a suggestion in the National Broadband Plan, which recommended the Commission bring together experts to discuss the analytical framework the FCC should use to assess the effectiveness of its existing special access rules.” The workshop featured presentations from four economists:  Dennis Carlton of Compass Lexecon; William Taylor of NERA Economic Consulting; Bridger Mitchell of Charles River Associates; and Lee Selwyn of Economics and Technology, Inc.

From USTelecom’s viewpoint, high-capacity services are only becoming increasingly competitive, as industry strives to accommodate the considerable growth in demand for high-capacity services. We believe that the FCC, before considering any rule changes, must perform a thorough data collection and analysis to determine the effectiveness of its current rules.  We believe such an analysis will show ample competition in the vast majority of the country.

Watch a replay of the workshop.

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“We applaud the Committee’s commitment to bringing the benefits of telecommunications to all Americans, including those with disabilities, and welcome passage of this important legislation. The Committee’s action today is the next important step in the process of updating the nation’s laws governing access to advanced communications technology for people with disabilities.”

Hall spoke at a state “field” hearing that is part of an overall review of U.S. agriculture policy being conducted by the House Agriculture Committee in advance of its consideration of the 2012 Farm Bill. The committee is holding hearings in Washington, D.C. in addition to the field hearings all over the U.S.  The June 28 hearing was in Fayetteville, North Carolina where congressional officials heard some of the state’s agricultural leaders views on the Farm Bill.
In his testimony, Hall pointed out that North Carolina is working on policies to provide broadband access to it residents, but some people in rural areas are left out.

“North Carolina has had a nationally recognized state broadband authority since 2001 and has served as a national model for efforts to expand broadband access. Yet, approximately 17 percent of the households in North Carolina still have no high-speed Internet service available to them,” Hall said.

With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act broadband programs and the FCC’s National Broadband Plan encouraging states to make policy changes to promote universal broadband access, some states are doing a good job of providing broadband and others are not, according to a June 21 study by the Pew Center on the States. But the recent recession has put a dent in many state budgets across the country. States face other challenges in providing universal broadband service to their residents.

“They face three key challenges: expanding availability of broadband, encouraging people to use it and ensuring high-quality service,” said Susan Urahn, managing director, Pew Center on the States.  Just about every policy area that states manage could be affected by expanding this technology, she said, adding that states’ will play a pivotal role in whether the new national broadband plan succeeds.

The Pew study, which ranked states by how close they are to federal goals of providing connections of at least 768 kilo bits per second, found that North Carolina was proactively working on making broadband access available to all of its residents. North Carolina was ranked 25th on the list. But with 17% of North Carolina’s residents still without high-speed broadband access, how does it plan to fill the gap?

Read the study.]

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“We are confident that a fully developed record will clearly demonstrate that to subject broadband Internet access to 20th Century monopoly telephone regulation is legally unsustainable, and will stifle job creation, investment and economic growth. We are also confident that the record will reaffirm the FCC’s own data showing that over 90 percent of consumers are happy with their broadband service, and will show that if the Commission wants new authority over the Internet, it should seek that authority from the United States Congress.”

McCormick, who is expected to be joined by representatives from the Consumer Electronics Association, CTIA – The Wireless Association, the Hearing Loss Association of America and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, is testifying at a hearing on H.R. 3101, “The Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009.”

For more information, or to watch the hearing via live webcast, click here.

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“We salute the leadership of Ranking Members Barton and Stearns in bringing together the Republican Conference in expressing deep concern about the impact of the FCC’s Title II proposal on jobs, broadband deployment, and economic growth. In total, an impressive bipartisan majority of 248 members of the House have now stated their strong reservations with the regulatory direction in which the FCC is headed, and have articulated their belief that a change of this magnitude should only be undertaken with express Congressional authorization. We look forward to working with them to assure that consumers continue to enjoy the internet freedoms that they have today, while maintaining the longstanding bipartisan commitment to keep the internet free of growth-inhibiting government regulation.

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“Congressman Dingell’s questions cut to the very heart of the FCC’s Title II proposal and amplify the many concerns surrounding its impact on jobs, economic growth, and broadband deployment.  When the Dean of the House and leading congressional oversight expert expresses doubt about both the wisdom and legality of an agency’s course, the message is clear:  It’s time to change course.  We are encouraged by Mr. Dingell’s recommendation that the FCC set aside this ill-fated plan and instead seek an appropriate delegation of statutory authority from Congress.”

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“We applaud the Congressional leadership call for proposals to update the Communications Act, and look forward to participating in this timely and critical initiative.”

“We appreciate the bill’s thoughtful, fact-driven approach in requiring the FCC to evaluate, before issuing new regulations, whether there is a failure in the broadband Internet services industry that harms consumers. The bill rightly calls on Congress to provide the Commission with specific guidance on how to oversee the Internet before taking action that could harm investment and jobs in an industry that is thriving.”

The following statement is from USTelecom President & CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.:

“This is a deeply disturbing development.  In proposing to apply 19th Century-style monopoly regulation to the competitive 21st Century Internet, the FCC has put a cloud of uncertainty over the most dynamic sector of the economy – an area of robust job creation, thriving innovation, and extraordinary levels of consumer satisfaction.  In doing so, the Commission is acting in a way that would seem to be fundamentally at odds with its own stated interest in promoting broadband deployment and adoption, encouraging expanded consumer choice through increased investment in facilities-based broadband networks, and encouraging jobs and economic growth.

“We welcome the Chairman’s invitation to explore constructive ideas, and will work with him and the Commission to assure that consumers continue to enjoy the Internet freedoms they have today.  But the notion of a “third way” implies a compromise, which this is not.  The Chairman’s proposal goes far beyond the authority granted to the FCC by Congress.  We believe it would be a mistake of historic proportions to abandon the longstanding bipartisan policy to keep the rapidly-evolving Internet free of growth-inhibiting government regulation.”