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June 15, 2007
Earthlink Asks FCC to Ensure Broadband Competition
By Spencer D. Chin, TMCnet Web Editor
Internet service provider EarthLink has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission requesting that it promotes market competition for last-mile broadband access, in response to attempts by large cable and telco companies to monopolize access to unbundled cooper loops.
In a docket delivered to the FCC, EarthLink argued that the Commission should not bow to pressure from cable and telco providers, such as Verizon (News - Alert), to eliminate access to unbundled cooper loops, to “effectively protect the vibrant, open nature of the Internet”. The docket noted that Verizon has called for eliminating access to these loops in ten states from New Hampshire to North Caroling covering more than 35 million Americans, while Qwest (News - Alert) has lobbied to eliminate copper loop access for an additional 12 million Americans.
EarthLink argued that enabling it and other ISPs to access the loops would make the market less vulnerable to the anti-competitive practices of the large cable/telco monopolies, who are increasingly bundling phone, Internet, and TV services. EarthLink contends that the incumbent providers are more likely to “block, impair, degrade, and discriminate against Internet content and applications”.
The FCC (News - Alert) remains under pressure from many sectors in the telecom industry in the broadband access debate.
In December, the FCC voted to clear the way for increased cable competition, by requiring local cable franchise authorities to act on applications from competitive service providers within a 90-day period. That move was applauded by Verizon, which has been aggressively expanding the availability of its Fiberoptic Internet Service (FIOS) throughout the U.S.
The FCC vote was blasted by local franchise authorities in several states, who argued that opening the door for additional cable and telco providers would deprive them of bandwidth needed to broadcast useful public access information.
Spencer Chin is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
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Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
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(source: http://internetcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/broadband-mobile/articles/7647-earthlink-asks-fcc-ensure-broadband-competition.htm)
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