Consumer groups Wednesday sent a joint letter urging Congress to initiate a
full hearing into the Federal Communication
Commission’s failure to promote non-discriminatory access to broadband
Internet access.
Four national and state consumer groups asked Representatives John Dingell (D-MI) and Ed Markey (D-MA) to find out why
the FCC has failed to promote open access guidelines for broadband cable
networks.
The Consumer Federation of
America, Consumers Union,
Michigan Citizen Action
and the Massachusetts
Consumers’ Coalition said the FCC has abdicated its responsibility to
guarantee consumer choice of broadband cable access providers.
The groups said the FCC has jeopardized the ability of the Internet to
function as a ubiquitous, open means of communications and commerce.
Mark Cooper, CFA’s director of Research, said a congressional hearing is an
appropriate venue for exploring why the FCC has failed to defend the public
interest.
“Open access is one of the most important issues facing consumers at the
start of the ‘Internet century,’ yet it’s an issue on which the FCC lags
disastrously behind the curve,” Cooper said.
Cooper said that recent industry developments including the proposed merger of America Online Inc. and Time Warner Inc. only serve to
reinforce the need for clear and vigorous federal policy to ensure open
access.
“In the absence of any federal regulatory leadership,” Cooper concluded,
“it is vital that local jurisdictions across the country continue to press
for open access in order to prevent the information superhighway from
becoming a private toll road.”
The groups’ letter comes at a critical juncture in the national debate over
non-discriminatory access to cable networks.
Since announcing its proposed merger with Time Warner (TWX),
America Online (AOL)
has abandoned its open access lobbying efforts nationwide.
The consumer groups said that because AT&T Corp. owns a substantial stake
of Time Warner, a merged AOL-Time Warner and AT&T (T)
combined would control more than half of all the cable lines in the country.
In addition to the staggering level of ownership over broadband delivery
systems, AT&T, Time Warner and AOL would have access to more than half of
the narrowband Internet subscribers in the U.S.
The groups contend that the FCC is broken and consumers will suffer the
consequences if Congress does not fix it.
