For Immediate Release
Contact: Kelly Wismer, 703-351-2015, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (December 14, 2017)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association today issued the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield regarding today’s FCC vote with respect to net neutrality rules:
“NTCA has said for some time that the process leading up to today’s order offered an important chance to get rules of the road right after the net neutrality regime adopted in 2015 imposed heavy-handed obligations exclusively on retail broadband providers while ignoring the roles and responsibilities of the many other actors that affect consumers’ online experiences. We therefore hope that today’s order will not be an end unto itself, but rather a step in a continuing and much-needed conversation about how to strike the right balance in ensuring seamless interconnection among all entities that contribute to consumers’ online experiences and how to enable better access to robust and affordable broadband for all Americans.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 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 transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks 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, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.