Background: Today the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order allowing the sunset of program access rules created under the 1992 Cable Act.

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

“While we appreciate the commission’s willingness to make some changes to this order, today’s action is likely to make it more difficult to build and operate broadband networks, especially in rural communities where revenues from offering competitive video services are essential in order to make a business case for broadband deployment. There is near universal agreement in the record in support of continuing the commission’s long-standing prohibition on the ability of large cable companies to withhold critical programming as a tool for suppressing the ability of alternative providers to compete—including support from small cable companies, rural telephone companies, satellite providers and public interest groups.”