Washington – The FCC put out a request for information Thursday on the rates telecommunications carriers and companies pay each other for special access lines. The issue that has been a longstanding debate is becoming more critical as the FCC deals with increasing industry consolidation in telecommunications.
The following comments can be attributed to Computer & Communication Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black:
“CCIA applauds the FCC’s revival of a longstanding investigation into one of the last vestiges of monopoly in the telecom world. As a policy organization committed to competition for over 30 years, we celebrate the Commission’s recognition that no American business large or small, service or manufacturing, should be held hostage to unfairly high rates for critical data transport simply because there is no competitive alternative and only crippled regulation.
“This critical economic issue has been kicked around so long that AT&T itself used to be active on our side of the debate. That would be the pre-merger AT&T that was forced to pay exorbitant rates to the Bell Companies for special access lines. Now, they collect those rates.
“We hope this investigation is a first step toward overdue reforms to special access rates. We anticipate that this initiative can produce significant savings for both Main Street and Fortune 500 companies alike.”