As FCC Broadband Comments Flow In, Many Oppose Net Neutrality
Several companies and trade associations offered previews of filings they'll submit to the FCC June 8 responding to its inquiry on establishing a national broadband plan. Many of the early comments focused on the net neutrality debate, urging the commission to rely on the open market for Internet regulation.
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Increasing net neutrality restrictions will stifle private investment in broadband deployment for years to come, said Jason Goldman, a lawyer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, during a conference call about the soon-to-be-filed comments. FCC policy needs to promote private investment and the free market can “punish” the bad players, Goldman said. The $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus is dwarfed by the hundreds of billions spent on broadband deployment from the private sector each year, he said.
The National Association of Manufacturers is also urging the FCC not to impose more net neutrality requirements, the association said in a conference call. The FCC, FTC, and other agencies already have to power to act against bad providers and more regulation would slow investment in broadband, said Marc-Anthony Signorino, director of technology policy at NAM.
Meanwhile, in a blog post regarding Comcast’s comments, Executive Vice President David Cohen urged the FCC to increase its attention to the adoption side of the digital divide. The government should engage in a “concerted public effort to get Americans to use broadband,” similar to the push from analog to DTV, said Cohen. Convincing providers to deploy broadband to the most remote areas will require some “carefully targeted incentives and subsidies” beyond the $7.2 billion in federal broadband stimulus funds, he said.
The Telecommunications Industry Association filed comments Friday suggesting a three-year timeline that includes targeted goals. The TIA outlined six principles that should guide the commission in making a broadband plan. The principles urged the FCC to support innovation into next- generation broadband and to promote open trade and competition in international markets.