CWA Statement on Justice Department, FCC Decision on Telecommunications Competition

Communications Workers of America President Morton Bahr issued the following statement today:

The decision by the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission not to pursue a stay of the court ruling lifting competitive pricing regulation in telecommunications is in the best interest of the industry and American consumers.

The current regulatory policy, forcing the Bell Regional phone companies to lease their lines to competitors at artificially low rates, has stifled capital investment, costing tens of thousands of jobs and constraining the roll-out of broadband communications.

We believe this outmoded framework is a major reason why most Americans still don't enjoy high-speed Internet services, while in Japan, Korea and Taiwan there is virtually universal high-speed broadband at five times the speed that is common in this country.

This pricing framework no longer is necessary in a telecom industry that today is characterized by vibrant and growing competition among wireline, wireless, cable and satellite communications providers, fueled by breakthrough digital technologies.

CWA has long called for a competitive industry based on marketplace fairness – one that also preserves the concept of universal service and a broad range of customer choices.

We are happy that a majority of FCC commissioners now believe in leveling the playing field in telecommunications, which will lead to a surge of new investment, new consumer services, and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs that America desperately needs.

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