For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder Smith, 703-351-2086, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (February 19, 2016)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association issued the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield in response to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s blog post, “Bipartisan Solutions for Universal Service,” released this afternoon:
“NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association appreciates the FCC’s efforts to talk with us over the past several years about addressing consumer demands for broadband in the most hard-to-serve parts of our country where small rural carriers operate. We are hopeful that the targeted updates being considered in this order to support consumer choices for broadband will build upon the unparalleled work that smaller carriers have already done in leading the broadband charge in rural America. We also hope that several measures in the order could help to remove some degree of regulatory uncertainty by addressing a number of issues that had been lingering subjects of review and possible reform for years or even decades.
“With any change of this magnitude, however, there is always a concern that it not be too complex and of course that it not disrupt the ability to serve customers. It will be absolutely essential to see the written words on the page and review the specific terms of the order to understand the actual effectiveness of the reforms and how all the moving parts will affect the ability of smaller providers to keep delivering on our national promise of universal service. The most recent discussions with the commission were not easy, and as Chairman Wheeler himself said in his blog, none of us got all that we wanted or hoped for in this reform. But our shared goal throughout these debates has been to ensure reforms result in USF mechanisms that provide predictable and sufficient support as mandated by the Communications Act, restore regulatory certainty to help justify long-term investments in rural networks, and promote and sustain a broadband future for rural consumers and the small carriers that serve them. And if it turns out that some aspects of the reforms do not succeed in helping to further these objectives, we will be right back at it working to have the commission correct those pieces for small rural carriers and the consumers they serve.”
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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.