Additional Broadband Regulation Is Unnecessary

It’s clear that the demand for ever more data-rich services at ever higher speeds is driving the fiber, DSL, and wireless deployment that our country needs to stay competitive. In our rapidly converging communications environment, with such dizzying increase in demand, carriers have to be able to manage the increased data flow nimbly and effectively. The FCC can protect consumers’ connection rights, a principle goal of its recent notice of inquiry and still preserve service providers’ ability to provide enriched and robust services. It’s precisely such a light-touch regulatory approach that has allowed high-tech industries like wireless and Internet to thrive over the past decade.

Several core principles — like full disclosure of providers’ broadband plans and free consumer choice of applications over any network — are enough to ensure consumers’ rights without taking a noble goal to a pernicious end by disallowing packet management and competitive pricing. Such onerous regulation would definitely diminish quality of service and investment over the next-generation networks being deployed around the country.