Industry associations praised the FCC’s actions that they say will go a long way to help carriers provide rural broadband. (See top story.)
USTelecom, ITTA, WTA-The Voice of America’s Broadband Providers, and NCTA–The Rural Broadband Association, praised the actions. USTelecom President/CEO Jonathan Spalter, said: “By reforming the unpredictable and insufficient funding for rate-of-return carriers, the FCC has taken a positive and meaningful step to spur broadband adoption and deployment in the years ahead.
Most importantly, the FCC today gets us that much closer to universal service for rural consumers and businesses at the higher speeds they deserve.”
NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield, called the action, “a watershed moment. [This] landmark order delivers on much of the promise of prior reform efforts and will hopefully put the high-cost USF program on a path for greater success and stability for years to come.”
Bloomfield was referring to the FCC’s ‘Transformation Order,’ seven years ago that aimed to reorient federal USF support systems toward broadband. She also cited a 2016 order that took important steps toward that goal.
The change, “will ensure that more consumers living in rural America will have access to the same high-speed broadband services as Americans living in urban areas,” said ITTA President Genny Morelli. “The order ensures the small, rural broadband providers that make up WTA’s membership have the resources they need to build out more robust networks to more rural residents, businesses and anchor institutions,” said Derrick Owens, SVP, Government & Industry Affairs, WTA.
December 13, 2018
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