USTelecom Chief Says Broadband Clarity, Parity Needed for 'Connected Nation'

at all levels of government," he wrote in a Morning Consult commentary Wednesday. Spalter said clarity is needed for broadband providers that invested more in infrastructure, $1.5 trillion, than any other sector over the past two decades while being subjected to "Washington whiplash" -- "heady" talk of broadband importance mixed with "increasingly regressive policy decisions" undermining investment. "We need to reverse this troubling trend by establishing policies that encourage investment in new and better broadband," he wrote. He also backed a level playing field. "Telecommunications companies alone remain shackled to stale regulatory structures written in the rotary phone era or, at best, when the honk and screech of dial-up internet was the siren call of the future. These companies should be free to compete head-on with their cable and other rivals -- free from dated, discriminatory rules," he wrote. Spalter said the country must remain committed to a "connected nation" of people and things. "A new Administration and Congress present an opportune moment to take a fresh look at how we build for the future," he wrote. "Many believe a major push on infrastructure holds out the greatest hope for meaningful, bipartisan progress. It is essential that this push include broadband."