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CDT Urges FCC to Pursue Open Access - On December 1, CDT submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission in response to the FCC's inquiry into high-speed Internet access. In its comments, CDT argued the feasibility, need for and importance of telecommunications providers opening their high-speed networks to competing Internet service providers. This "open access" strategy is critical to maintaining First Amendment values online as we move from a narrow-band Internet based largely on dial-up connections to one in which broadband connections like cable and DSL play a major role. December 1, 2000
FCC Considers Digital Access Issues: Bandwidth, Access Charges - On January 23, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held an open forum to
explore the issue of congestion on the Internet. That issue is part
of a larger debate over whether Internet service providers (ISPs) and
commercial online service providers should be charged access fees for the
use of the local telephone network. CDT along with other public interest
reprsentatives, telephone companies, ISPs, and commercial online service
providers spoke at the forum:
The FCC bandwidth forum comes amidst an FCC inquiry on the current state of
the Internet infrastructure. Recently, several regional bell companies
have raised concerns that Internet usage is creating significant
congestion problems on their networks, and have suggested access charges as
a solution. Online service providers and ISP's argued that the imposition
of access charges would harm the future growth of the Net.
CDT believes this issue is critically important to the future of the
Internet, and is working to ensure that the future Internet infrastructure
develops in a way that maximizes the democratic potential of the Net and
encourages a decentralized, open architecture. In the coming months we will
be holding public forums and other education events. Please continue to
visit this page for more information.
- Response to the FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) from CDT, Media Access Project, the Benton Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Voters Telecommunications Watch.
Excerpt from the FCC's NPRM that considers whether to "permit incumbent LECs to assess interstate access charges on information service providers."
- FCC Notice of Inquiry -- requesting comments on information service providers impact on local telephone systems.
- Full text of the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Third Report and Order, and Notice of Inquiry[Large file - 360k]
February 10, 1997
CDT Files Comments in Opposition to ACTA FCC Petition - In comments submitted on Wednesday (5/8) to the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), CDT urged the Commission to reject
a request by the America's Carriers Telecommunications Association
(ACTA), an association of small long distance companies, to regulate
Internet voice telephony products and services. CDT argued that
an FCC ruling in this area would immediately restrict the ability
of Internet users to choose Internet software applications, and
would require the FCC to take "... intrusive and unprecedented
steps in the regulation of ... the Internet." May 10, 1996
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