Washington, D.C., – The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) today praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for announcing that it plans to launch a formal proceeding on how to ensure open access to incumbent cable facilities used to provide telecommunications services. The agency’s announcement was made by FCC Chairman William E. Kennard at a press briefing on June 30^th.

In a letter to Chairman Kennard, CompTel’s president, H. Russell Frisby, Jr. stated that it has long advocated competitive access to telecommunications facilities under the control of dominant carriers. The association also noted that American consumers and the U.S. economy in general are benefiting from lower prices, new services and technological advances in the telecommunications and information markets.

"In light of the finding of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the AT&T v. City of Portland case that the cable platform used to provide Internet access is a telecommunications service, the FCC now has the legal authority to require cable broadband providers offer multiple Internet service providers (ISPs) access to their facilities," the letter stated. "CompTel believes the most effective means to ensure that cable TV consumers have competitive choices among ISPs is for the FCC to establish a national policy that ensures nondiscriminatory access by ISPs to these cable facilities."

* * * * *

Based in Washington, DC, CompTel is the leading trade association representing U.S. and international competitive communications firms and their suppliers who offer a variety of local, domestic and international long distance, Internet and wireless services. The association's members include global and national firms, regional carriers and emerging local competitive companies. Visit CompTel on the Internet at www.comptel.org, or call 202/296-6650 for more information.