For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder, 703-351-2086, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (June 13, 2014) – NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today issued the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield regarding FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s statement on broadband consumers and Internet congestion:
“For some time, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association has been advocating for clearer rules of the road and greater visibility into the ways in which networks interconnect with one another. As the rural call completion epidemic demonstrates, we cannot rely on market forces alone to address or overcome concerns about the seamless exchange of data and traffic between networks. Particularly in rural areas where the costs of reaching distant gateway hubs can be substantial, our shared national mission of universal service cannot be achieved in a broadband world without rules or systems that help to put marketplace players of all sizes and types on more equal footing. We look forward to further dialogue and focus on these important questions.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA’s members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us at www.ntca.org.