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July 18, 2007 The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye RE: Chairman's Substitute to S. 1492 Dear Chairman Inouye: On behalf of the Open Internet Coalition, I am writing in support of your amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act. As we wrote last month, the current broadband situation in this country is unacceptable. The federal government continues to employ outdated data collection methodology. This situation needs to change if the United States is going to engage in a necessary course correction and adopt a national broadband policy. According to the OECD, the United States was ranked 4th in broadband adoption in 2001. The United States has since fallen to 15th place as of December 2006. Our growth rate relative to the OECD nations between 2005 and 2006 ranks us 20th. The Federal Communications Commission still uses standards for collecting information about broadband markets that are severely outdated and increasingly irrelevant. The current methodology measures only network availability, ignoring other factors such as price and speed; priorities which are important to consumers. Even network availability is not measured as accurately as it should be. Due to obsolete methodology and inaccurate data, it has been easy to ignore the reality of the present broadband situation. We cannot continue to support a status quo that hinders competition and technological development by fostering a duopoly between cable and DSL that provides no meaningful incentives to address our Nation's lagging when compared to our international competitors. The Broadband Data Improvement Act is a meaningful first step toward the kind of course correction that will address the shortcomings in our broadband policies. We appreciate your leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with you and your staff to move this bill through the legislative process. Sincerely, Cc: The Honorable Ted Stevens, Ranking Republican Members of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Download Full Letter |
Letter in Support of Substitute to S. 1492
July 18, 2007