Data-Driven Reply Discredits Incumbent Broadband Plan Recommendations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: July 21, 2009
Contact: Moira Vahey, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x31

WASHINGTON -- Today, Free Press filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission regarding the national broadband plan. The filing offers evidence that refutes many incumbents’ calls for continued deregulation and efforts to deter public interest action by the FCC. This filing follows Free Press' June comments to the FCC, which included an extensive analysis of the agency’s past broadband policy failures and offered detailed proposals on how to bring universal, affordable broadband to all Americans.

Derek Turner, research director at Free Press, issued the following statement:

"The FCC should not be duped by the incumbents' self-serving claims. The national broadband plan must be built on a record of meaningful data and analysis -- not on flimsy evidence and discredited arguments.

"Incumbents have the largest pool of resources and broadband data at their fingertips, but their comments offer nothing more than the same old tired pro-deregulation arguments. It is clear from their recommendations that the phone and cable companies want the national broadband plan to simply be a ‘do-nothing’ plan -- a strategy that has already proven to be an epic failure for consumers.

"The national broadband plan is the opportunity Americans have been waiting for. The FCC can atone for past agency mistakes and chart a path forward that brings the open and competitive broadband market that consumers were promised so long ago."

Read Free Press' National Broadband Strategy Reply Comments: http://www.freepress.net/files/Free_Press_BB_Plan_NOI_Reply_Comments.pdf

Read Free Press' National Broadband Strategy Recommendations: www.freepress.net/files/FP_National_broadband_plan.pdf

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