For Immediate Release
Contact: Kelly Wismer, 703-351-2015, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (October 23, 2018)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association issued the following statements from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield in response to actions taken at today’s FCC open commission meeting.
Promoting Investment in the 3550-3700 MHz Band
“NTCA welcomes the FCC’s approval of this report and order following robust discussion and engagement with providers of all sizes and stakeholders of all kinds in seeking to maximize the benefits that can be realized through the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum band. Today’s action represents a balanced approach to making such spectrum available for effective commercial use throughout the country. NTCA’s small, rural operator members look forward to the opportunity to obtain this valuable spectrum to complement and enhance the broadband services they already offer in their communities.”
Business Data Services for Rate-of-Return Carriers Receiving Fixed Universal Service Support
“NTCA appreciates the commission’s work and applauds today’s vote regarding how to provide smaller, rural providers with additional options in the offering of regulated services. The wide diversity of challenges presented in high-cost rural areas makes it such that no one regulatory regime–whether price cap or rate-of-return regulation–can logically be viewed as the right answer across the board. Rural operators and the consumers they serve can benefit from greater flexibility in structuring service offerings and in voluntarily migrating to less burdensome regulatory structures.”
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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.