Telco Coalition Opposes FCC Business Broadband Proposal: ‘flying blind’ into a bad decision
Frontier Communications, CenturyLink, Cincinnati Bell, Consolidated Communications, and FairPoint have partnered to create the “Invest in Broadband for America” coalition to oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed special-access market reforms. The coalition says the FCC’s proposed reforms of special access market are questionable and sweeping.
Special access is the business services market of dedicated connections used by businesses and institutions to deliver voice and data traffic, including for ATMs and credit card transactions. They also include wireless backhaul services, so the move also ties to the FCC’s promotion of wireless broadband. The FCC has rebranded special access as “BDS” (business data services).
“First and foremost, it is crucial that the FCC get the data right on competition in the marketplace before flying blindly into a major policy decision,” said John Jones, CenturyLink SVP, in announcing the new effort. “Important decisions are best made with accurate data. What is at stake here is the definition of ‘competition.’ That definition will have a substantial impact on the telecom and national economy for years to come. Think investment, suppliers, employees, infrastructure and contractors.”
The FCC BDS proposal is being questioned by cable operators providing BDS competition.
References:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-releases-business-data-services-order-and-further-notice