Tuesday, October 20, 2009

USA - FCC invites comments on a report on foreign experiences with broadband policies

[eweek] Industrialized nations that rank above the United States in broadband in a variety of metrics implemented open access policies -- unbundling, bitstream access, collocation requirements, wholesaling, and/or functional separation -- to achieve their success, according to a study commissioned by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and conducted by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

The study is part of the FCC's task force's work preparing the National Broadband Plan ordered by Congress for February delivery.

"The lowest prices and highest speeds are almost all offered by firms in markets where, in
addition to an incumbent telephone company and a cable company, there are also competitors who entered the market, and built their presence, through use of open access facilities," the report states.

The report adds that open access policies "are almost universally understood as having played a core role in the first generation transition to broadband in most of the high performing countries; that they now play a core role in planning for the next generation transition; and that the positive impact of such policies is strongly supported by the evidence of the first generation
broadband transition."

FCC Study: Open Access Spurs Broadband Growth

See also Berkman Broadband Study

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