EarthLink Demonstrates Comcast-NBCU Merger Will Increase Prices of Comcast's Broadband Service

/PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink, Inc. (Nasdaq: ELNK), one of the nation's leading Internet service providers, has presented an economic report to the Federal Communications Commission on the proposed merger of Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal. The findings demonstrate that control of NBC Universal's content and assets will result in Comcast raising the prices that consumers pay for standalone broadband service. This report was prepared by Professor Simon J. Wilkie, Former Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission, and is available at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020915403.

The report shows that an increase in the price of standalone broadband service will harm consumers in several ways. In response to higher prices, existing subscribers may be forced to drop their broadband service subscription and new subscribers may not be able to afford Comcast's broadband service. Further, Comcast customers who wish to "cut the cord" from the higher-priced Comcast cable television subscription in order to access lower-cost online video and voice services via standalone broadband or simply "break the bundle" and subscribe only to broadband services will face increased charges. As a result, the market for innovative online video services will be stifled and the nation's goals of ubiquitous broadband adoption and usage will be dampened.

In June, EarthLink asked the FCC to deny the merger or adopt a condition requiring Comcast to offer wholesale standalone broadband access service to independent Internet service providers. Professor Wilkie determined that allowing consumers to have a choice for broadband services will allow consumers to "break the bundle," promote and discipline Comcast's pricing and protect the development of online video. This remedy will impose little or no costs on Comcast while at the same time generating significant benefits.

"Professor Wilkie has confirmed through substantial findings that the Comcast-NBCU transaction will result in a real and significant harm to consumers," said EarthLink General Counsel Samuel R. DeSimone, Jr. "The FCC must step in to ensure that consumers have access to affordable standalone broadband service."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

FCC Terminates AWS-3 Rulemaking to Auction Spectrum with Free Broadband Requirement; Breaks National Broadband Plan Commitment

/PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, August 27, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notified M2Z Networks, Inc. (M2Z) and its Silicon Valley investors including Kleiner Perkins, Charles River Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures, that it has terminated the AWS-3 spectrum (2155-2180 MHz) public interest rulemaking, thereby closing off the possibility of providing free nationwide broadband service in the United States for the foreseeable future. The FCC has been considering M2Z's proposal for a free nationwide broadband network using AWS-3 since 2006. This decision reverses the FCC's National Broadband Plan commitment to finalize the AWS-3 spectrum rulemaking in the fourth quarter of 2010 and for the spectrum to be auctioned by the second quarter of 2011.

The FCC's AWS-3 rulemaking, pending since 2007, consisted of three key issues:

-- A requirement that the AWS-3 licensee provide free broadband service
to at least 95% of the U.S. population in order to address the digital
divide;
-- A requirement that the AWS-3 licensee adhere to Net Neutrality
principles of open access (end-user access to all lawful content) and
open platforms (end-users to have the choice of devices);
-- An enforceable requirement on the AWS-3 licensee to build-out a
national broadband network covering 50% of the population in 4 years
and 95% in 10 years.


According to the FCC's own National Broadband Plan, 28 million Americans today cannot afford to subscribe to broadband. A free nationwide broadband service using the AWS-3 spectrum band would have addressed this persistent digital divide. While campaigning for the White House in 2008, President Obama told the U.S. Conference of Mayors, "Every American should have broadband access - no matter where you live, or how much money you have. We'll connect our schools and libraries and hospitals. And we'll take on the special interests to realize the potential of wireless spectrum for our safety and connectivity."

There continues to be considerable support from the public for a free nationwide broadband service. The FCC record shows that during the pendency of the AWS-3 rulemaking, more than 50,000 Americans signed a petition supporting the proposed rules while the FCC and members of Congress received over 20,000 letters and emails in support of the proposed rules. Government officials outside of Washington--faced with a growing digital divide and a poor economy--also saw merit in this innovative private sector solution. The FCC record shows that over 300 local, state and federal officials from all 50 states wrote to the FCC in support of the proposed AWS-3 rules.

"The FCC's decision to delay the use of this valuable spectrum forgoes the consumer welfare and economic stimulus that would result from putting new spectrum into the marketplace," said John Muleta, CEO of M2Z Networks. "A new nationwide broadband entrant that provided a free broadband service would have created tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs throughout the country while giving all Americans an equal opportunity to participate in the digital economy. Despite the spectrum crisis facing the U.S. as documented by the FCC's National Broadband Plan, the AWS-3 spectrum will continue to lie fallow providing no economic value to American consumers."

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Vice President Biden Announces Recovery Act Investments in Broadband Projects to Bring Jobs, Economic Opportunity to Communities Nationwide

Vice President Biden today (August 18) announced 94 Recovery Act investments in broadband projects that will create jobs and expand economic opportunities within 37 states.  These investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide in communities that are being left in the 20th century economy and support improvements in education, healthcare, and public safety.  Today’s announcement, an investment totaling $1.8 billion, is part of a nearly $7 billion Recovery Act initiative.

“Today's (August 18) investment in broadband technology will create jobs across the country and expand opportunities for millions of Americans and American companies. In addition to bringing 21st century infrastructure to underserved communities and rural areas, these investments will begin to harness the power of broadband to improve education, health care, and public safety,” said Vice President Biden. “The awards are another great example of how the Recovery Act is creating jobs upfront, while also building a foundation for sustainable job creation and global competitiveness.”

The projects receiving funds today are part of a program – administered by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) – to expand broadband access and adoption across the country.

“The broadband investments announced today(August 18) are going to put people to work in the near term, but they also will lay the groundwork for sustainable economic growth down the road,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “These projects will connect Americans who have for too long been without the full economic, educational and social benefits of high-speed Internet access – access central to success in the 21st Century.”

“The broadband projects announced today(August 18) will give rural Americans access to the tools they need to attract new businesses, jobs, health care and educational opportunities,” Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration understands that bringing broadband to rural America provides a gateway for businesses and key anchor institutions – such as libraries, schools, public safety and community centers – to provide services to thousands of Americans. These projects will create jobs building these networks, and the completed systems will provide a platform for rural economic growth for years to come.”

Today’s(August 18) announcement includes 66 grants awarded by the Commerce Department for projects to deploy broadband infrastructure and connect community anchor institutions to broadband, create and upgrade public computer centers, and encourage the sustainable adoption of broadband service.  It also includes 28 awards from USDA for broadband infrastructure and satellite projects that will provide rural residents in 16 states and Native American tribal areas access to improved service.

The Department of Commerce awards also contain grants for public safety broadband networks that will improve response times and communication at the scene of emergencies.   These projects constitute a critical set of demonstration projects and a head start on President Obama’s commitment to support the development of a nationwide, interoperable public safety wireless broadband network.  

According to an analysis released by the National Economic Council last year, overall Recovery Act investments in broadband are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and expand economic development and job opportunities in communities that are being left behind in the new knowledge-based economy. Recovery Act broadband projects help bring down the cost of private investment, attract Internet service providers to new areas, improve digital literacy among students and workers, and help create new opportunities in employment, education, and entrepreneurship by wiring homes and businesses. With new or increased broadband access, communities can compete on a level playing field to attract new businesses, schools can create distance learning opportunities, medical professionals can provide cost-efficient remote diagnoses and care, and business owners can expand the market for their products beyond their neighborhoods to better compete in the global economy.

Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan, grant or loan/grant agreement.  A complete list of projects receiving Recovery Act broadband grant awards today(August 18) can be viewed in full.

President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on February 17, 2009. It is designed to jumpstart the nation’s economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so that the country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.


-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

State Legislators Oppose FCC's Plans to Re-label and Regulate Internet

/PRNewswire/ -- The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) voices its opposition to plans by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the status of broadband Internet Service from a lightly-regulated "information service" to a more heavily regulated "telecommunications service."

At its meeting late last week, ALEC's Telecommunications & Information Technology Task Force approved its ALEC Broadband Regulation Resolution. The Resolution declares ALEC's opposition to the FCC's controversial plan to subject broadband Internet service to a handful of older monopoly-era telephone regulations.

Today the Resolution was delivered to the FCC along with a letter by Connecticut State Representative Bill Hamzy, who serves as Public Sector Chair of ALEC's Telecom & IT Task Force. In the letter, the state legislator insists the agency should back off from its controversial plan to subject broadband Internet to heavier regulatory burdens.

"ALEC supports the continuation of federal policies that have kept the Internet free from government regulation. Marketplace freedom has encouraged the explosive growth of the Internet and e-commerce in recent years. It would be a grave mistake for the FCC to suddenly reverse course and saddle the Internet with burdensome new regulation. ALEC remains concerned that attempts by federal regulators to impose new restrictions on broadband Internet service will hurt technological innovation, deter private infrastructure investment, and threaten job growth in the states," said Representative Hamzy.

As declared in the Resolution, "ALEC urges that the FCC, Congress and state regulatory and legislative bodies refocus their efforts on specific and limited initiatives targeted at ensuring that broadband service is made universally available and affordable to consumers, rejecting overly prescriptive regulations that would harm innovation, investment, and job growth."

In January, over 90 other state legislators submitted a letter to the FCC opposing its plans to impose net neutrality regulation. In 2007, ALEC adopted a Resolution on Net Neutrality, opposing federal and state regulation of network management practices.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Google-Verizon Broadband Proposal Undermines Internet, Consumer Watchdog Says

/PRNewswire/ -- Google and Verizon's new joint broadband proposal pays lip service to the idea of "net neutrality," but actually would completely undermine the open and free Internet we enjoy, Consumer Watchdog said today.

There are two fundamental flaws, said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with the nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group:

"First, it sets up a two-tiered structure. There would be a so-called 'Public Internet,' but then the ISPs would be allowed to offer new premium services outside that basic service. How long to you think anything of interest would be available on the 'Public Internet'?

"Second, no neutrality principles would apply to the wireless world. Everyone agrees mobile is clearly the Internet's future. Allowing data discrimination in the broadband wireless world completely undermines the future of the Internet."

Essentially, this proposal is nothing more than two corporations meeting together and trying to carve up the Internet for their own advantage, Consumer Watchdog said.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Study Says Regulators Should Preserve Pricing Flexibility for Broadband Service to Help Close Digital Divide

/PRNewswire/ -- A new study released today by the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy looks at how broadband pricing plans that recover a greater share of costs from the heaviest users, including high-bandwidth consuming content providers, would help the United States achieve universal broadband adoption sooner and accelerate the end of a digital divide across income, racial and ethnic lines. The study found that such a digital divide should end before the end of this decade, if Internet Service Providers (ISPs) apply flexible pricing strategies.

The paper, by economists Robert J. Shapiro, Former Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs, and Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy, and Kevin A. Hassett, Director of Economic Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, notes that the exploding demand for bandwidth, primarily from video applications, will require that the ISPs invest several hundred billion dollars to expand the broadband infrastructure. The study also finds that the pricing approaches used to fund those investments could largely determine the pace of broadband adoption over the next decade. The study utilizes findings from the FCC's National Broadband Plan to update an earlier analysis released last fall.

"Pricing models that recover costs equally, on a per-household basis to all subscribers, will substantially slow adoption," Shapiro and Hassett find. "However, a more flexible pricing model that recovers a greater share of these additional costs from high-bandwidth consumers or content providers would keep most subscribers' fee low and facilitate broadband adoption by all groups of Americans. Under this model, effective universal adoption should be achieved by all racial and ethnic groups by 2018 or 2019."

Shapiro and Hassett say pricing models are critical, because price is the largest factor determining whether a household subscribes to broadband. They observe that given the additional investments required to accommodate fast-rising demand for bandwidth and to avoid Internet congestion, the prevailing flat-fee pricing plans which charge the same fee for both modest and very heavy use of bandwidth will slow how fast lower-income Americans subscribe to broadband services. The paper finds that under the flat-fee pricing approach, fewer than 85 percent of Americans will have home broadband service by the end of this decade - well short of the 100 percent goal set by President Obama. For African Americans and Hispanics, who account for a disproportionate share of lower-income households, adoption rates would be 82 and 83 percent, respectively, if the cost of additional investment is borne equally by all consumers.

"Small price increases for current broadband users, especially middle-income and high-income subscribers, are unlikely to drive them back to dial-up. However, higher prices may have a much larger impact on the Internet subscription choices of households currently without service or using dial-up. Moreover, the evidence suggests that lower-income households are particularly sensitive to higher broadband prices," the study says.

The paper assumes that high bandwidth users, whose bandwidth consumption is fueling the growth of infrastructure investment needs, are relatively insensitive to price increases. It also observes that if that assumption does not hold, the largest share of the additional infrastructure investment could be funded through higher fees from the heaviest bandwidth-consuming content providers.

According to Shapiro and Hassett, "The same narrowing differences in broadband adoption would occur if the 80 percent share of the additional investment is passed along in higher charges to bandwidth-intensive content or applications providers, rather than their consumers. Some such approach would be the most efficient way to ensure that very high-bandwidth users do not drive up the costs of basic broadband service for everyone else."

The authors argue that as a matter of national social policy, average users should not be required to subsidize high-bandwidth consumers and content providers, as they have to date.

"Government policy should protect the ability of ISPs to employ flexible pricing strategies and ensure that government does not, even inadvertently, effectively compel pricing practices that would perpetuate differences in broadband adoption by income, race or ethnicity," added Shapiro and Hassett.

To access the complete study, visit the following link: http://tinyurl.com/2blzrv6. For additional information or media inquiries, please contact Andrea Salvatore by e-mail at cbpp@msb.edu.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Verizon Statement on FCC Vote on Broadband Internet Services Inquiry

/PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Communications Commission approved a Notice of Inquiry by a 3-2 vote on Thursday (June 17) to begin public consideration of possible legal frameworks for commission action on broadband Internet services. The following is a statement by Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president for public affairs, policy and communications:

"Reclassifying high-speed broadband Internet service as a telecom service is a terrible idea. The negative consequences for online users and the Internet ecosystem would be severe and have ramifications for decades. It is difficult to understand why the FCC continues to consider this option.

"Rather than attempting to make the new world of broadband fit into the regulatory scheme of the old telephone world, the FCC should acknowledge that this is an issue Congress should address. Nearly 300 members of Congress have signed letters to the FCC, warning against reclassification and expressing support for congressional action.

"We will continue to work with the Congress, the FCC and other interested parties to resolve these issues in a manner that encourages investment, innovation, jobs and the best possible online experience for users."

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE) Opposes The FCC's "Third Way" Approach to Address Network Neutrality

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE) expressed opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) recently developed "third way" approach to regulating the Internet, and urged Congress to play a larger role in the network neutrality debate.

"This policy shift appears to be a risky experiment and will likely lead to higher broadband prices," said ADE Chairman Julius H. Hollis. "It could conceivably keep 100 million Americans economically disenfranchised and locked out of our society - keeping the miracles and benefits of this 'Digital Revolution' far beyond their reach. That is something that we as a country simply cannot afford and, as such, we strongly feel that this is the wrong path to take."

In the letter, ADE urged Congress to play a larger role in the net neutrality debate. The group asked for "sensible action to guarantee all Americans have access to the benefits of high-speed Internet technology," and made several recommendations to achieve this.

"As the world of business, medicine and education shift towards a more digital-based economy, the Chairman's proposal could worsen the problems of low and moderate-income Americans, who are already stretched financially and have disproportionately borne the brunt of this recession," said Manuel A. Diaz, Vice Chairman of the ADE Board of Directors.

"ADE and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) are dedicated to closing the economic divide through digital technology so that everyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, has the opportunity to access information in order to improve their quality of life, said Larry Cohen, CWA President. "With quick action from Congress, we can move forward to build the world class Internet society that will truly transform our nation into a better and fairer society for all Americans."

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Small Business Group Bemoans Federal Intrusion on the Internet

/PRNewswire/ -- Despite the fact that Congress has not given the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to regulate the Internet, along with a recent court decision informing the government agency that it exceeded its regulatory boundaries in trying to do so, the FCC announced that it will move forward with intrusive and risky rules that hurt innovation, the economy and small business. According to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), such federal government intrusion dictating how the Internet operates will suffocate innovation, chill investment, and erode U.S. competitiveness. Moreover, Internet regulation undermines two crucial goals of the Obama Administration - accelerating the pace of economic recovery, and making broadband available for every American who wants access.

Commenting on the FCC's fixation to control the workings of the Internet where no problem exists, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan said: "I cannot tell you how disappointed and concerned we are that the federal government has decided to intrude into an area where creativity, capital and freedom have joined to produce unprecedented gains and opportunities for the individual, society, entrepreneurs and our economy. We are particularly troubled because the FCC has not offered any compelling evidence that an 'Open Internet' has been compromised. In fact, the vast record accumulated by the FCC over the years proves this point: There is no problem."

Raymond J. Keating, SBE Council's chief economist, added: "The FCC's drive to micromanage broadband networks is a case of irrational exuberance for government interference. While Internet providers have every incentive to serve their markets well, and clearly no market failure exists, the FCC chairman nevertheless wants government calling the shots on broadband pricing and operations. Investment and innovation will suffer accordingly, as will the entrepreneurs and small businesses that rely on and contribute to the Internet. At a time of great uncertainty regarding the economy and markets, the FCC inexplicably is creating greater uncertainty."

As the SBE Council has argued in its comments to the FCC, certainty is needed in order for broadband providers to invest the billions upon billions needed to fully deploy broadband and maintain its complex operations and growth. Indeed, the FCC has developed a National Broadband Plan recognizing the need for massive private sector investment in order to reach its goal of making broadband available to every American who wants access. Unfortunately, the FCC's obsession with regulation will undermine the essential goals it sets out in the National Broadband Plan, according to SBE Council.

Kerrigan continued: "Chairman Genachowski is moving full-steam ahead with a risky regulatory scheme even though the Congress has never given the Commission such authority to regulate the Internet. As consumers of broadband, and as entrepreneurs engaged in its deployment, maintenance and development; small business owners have the most to lose if intrusive new rules are enacted. That is why small business owners overwhelmingly oppose 'net' regulation, and we will continue to work with our supporters and small business leaders in Congress to ensure the FCC does not impose burdensome rules that disrupt innovation, service offerings, deployment as well as the Internet's staggering progress and the opportunities it offers."

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

FCC's Third Way Would Transfer Costs for Digital Expansion to the Un-served and Underserved

/PRNewswire/ -- The CEO and Chairman of the Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE), Julius Hollis, issued the following statement regarding FCC Chairman Genachowski's announcement yesterday that the FCC will seek to reclassify broadband providers as common carrier services under certain provisions of Title II of the Communications Act, in order to restore a legal foundation to their regulatory authority following the recent FCC vs. Comcast lawsuit:

"Yesterday's announcement by Chairman Genachowski is both perplexing and concerning. The FCC, after conferring with various stakeholders, crafted a comprehensive National Broadband Plan which seeks to guide the build out of high speed Internet and stimulate much-needed job growth. The FCC's National Broadband Plan provides a level and competitive landscape across all networks allowing for the spread of broadband to all American consumers. All this while maintaining an open Internet.

However, the Chairman's "third way" approach constricts economic development, particularly in communities of color that have been economically marginalized for decades due to the absence of private sector investment. This "third way" that the Chairman speaks of could further perpetuate economic inequalities by restricting consumers' choice and access to affordable broadband as our society moves towards a digitally-based economy.

"The Alliance for Digital Equality fully supports an open Internet and a regulatory environment that incentivizes the private investment necessary to bring digital technology to our currently un-served and underserved communities, leading to economic equality. ADE calls on the FCC today to focus on the critically important task of getting all Americans connected as delineated in the National Broadband Plan by promoting a more balanced regulatory environment. The ADE encourages Chairman Genachowski to reconsider his plans to implement a third way."

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

FCC Moves Toward More Government Regulation of the Internet

/PRNewswire/ -- According to reports, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genacowski will seek to reclassify broadband services under New Deal-era "common carrier" laws created for early landline telephone technology, thereby allowing the government to regulate the Internet via outdated rules. In response, Center for Individual Freedom's Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs Timothy Lee issued the following statement:

"The FCC should not attempt to apply archaic 1930s rules to 21st century technologies. This move by Chairman Genacowski will do nothing but stifle innovation, investment and growth within the broadband sector.

"Reclassifying broadband will merely allow the government to intervene in a thriving Internet market and hamper the constant service improvement and innovations to which consumers have become accustomed. It's the proverbial 'solution in search of a problem.' This bald partisan move also ignores all of the new technologies that are available precisely due to limited government intervention, and will ultimately move us backward to old-fashioned rules that once governed telephone services in the early 20th century.

"With everything else going on, do we really need a government take over the Internet?"

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Citizens for a Digital Future Applauds Georgia General Assembly for Supporting Broadband Investment, Passage of HB 168

(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the Georgia General Assembly passage of HB 168, the Telecom Jobs and Investment Act, John Watson, Chairman of Citizens for a Digital Future, made the following statement:

“Citizens for a Digital Future applauds the Georgia General Assembly for passing HB 168, an important step in increasing broadband investment and deployment in Georgia. This legislation encourages broadband growth and competition and represents the best interests of Georgia’s consumers and businesses by offering opportunity for greater investment and enhanced services. HB 168 encourages broadband investment from the private sector, which will stimulate job growth and provide access to new technologies and opportunities for businesses to expand.

“With passage of this legislation, which follows the legacy of telecommunications reform started in 1995 under the leadership of Governor Perdue, businesses will view Georgia as a place to devote resources, consequently strengthening the Georgia economy and promoting innovation for broadband enhancement and digital technologies. This increased investment will provide greater opportunity for more Georgians to experience the many benefits of broadband such as enhanced education, healthcare and economic growth. We thank the Georgia General Assembly for its continued leadership in implementing policies that place broadband investment and infrastructure at the forefront of economic growth.”

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

State Legislators Say Net Regulation Will Hurt Investment and Jobs

/PRNewswire/ -- The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has delivered a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing proposed network neutrality regulation. The state lawmakers expressed serious concerns that the unintended consequences of the proposed federal regulatory expansion into the Internet will harm states' economies. ALEC's letter was signed by 91 legislators from 36 states.

Connecticut State Representative Bill Hamzy serves as Chair of ALEC's Telecommunications & Information Technology Task Force and is the lead signatory of the ALEC letter opposing network neutrality regulation. "Federal regulation of broadband networks is the wrong way to spur the kind of technological innovation and financial investment in broadband infrastructure that will bring sustainable job growth to state economies. Since the FCC cannot even point to any existing problem with the Internet, it should say 'no' to network neutrality regulation," he said.

The ALEC letter described the proposed network neutrality regulation as "an unprecedented foray into government control of broadband private networks and the Internet" that could result in economic slowdown and setback in the states. "If adopted, extensive regulatory control and uncertainties will harm innovation, stifle investment, and curtail job growth. We believe that unintended consequences stemming from the draft rules will be detrimental to our states' economies and forestall marketplace recovery."

In 2007, ALEC adopted a Resolution on Network Neutrality that calls on the federal government and states to refrain from imposing such regulation.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage