Earlier today, the largest communications carriers and their equipment subsidiary filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) arguing against making high-speed Internet service a regulated service.
The following response is attributed to Harold Feld, legal director for Public Knowledge:
“This latest letter from the telephone and cable industries is yet another sign that the industry will make any argument to avoid the simple fact that consumers deserve protection against companies that block or degrade service and deserve more competition in Internet services.
“As we have shown in our filings, the carriers are wrong again on the facts, wrong again on the history, wrong on the policy. To give one example – the 1998 FCC report they mention would indeed call broadband service an ‘information service,’ but only if the companies offering it are not eligible to receive universal service support.
“History has shown that the Internet flourished with much more regulation on the telephone companies (which should have also been applied to cable companies) than anyone is discussing now. It is only the communications carriers that throw out the red herring of regulating everything on ‘the Internet.’ A light-touch regulation on Internet access service, whether as historically offered or even redefined for the future, would provide a firm legal basis for the National Broadband Plan and for the future all Americans deserve.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.