Adelstein to NTCA: Our Efforts are Linked

Democratic FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein on Tuesday said he’s committed to fighting for greater broadband deployment and meaningful Universal Service reform.

Adelstein served as the keynote speaker at the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association’s (NTCA) annual meeting in New Orleans. He’s the commissioner most in tune with rural telco concerns; he hails from South Dakota.

“Your work and my efforts on the FCC are really totally linked,” he told attendees.

Adelstein said broadband deployment is among the most important policy topics regulators need to address, and soon. That’s because the United States is falling further behind other countries in terms of broadband speed and price, a sacrifice America can’t make when broadband “is redefining the economy of the world,” Adelstein said.

He also chided a report released Jan. 31 by the White House’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that lauds “dramatic growth of broadband in the United States.”

“It’s more dressed up than a costume party at Mardi Gras,” Adelstein said of the study. When residents in other countries can buy more megabits for less money, there’s a problem, he added. The FCC defines broadband as Internet access of 200kbps. That’s an increasingly obsolete benchmark in an era of the 3mbps or 6mbps speeds cable and telco providers offer. But none of that matters if people who live in rural areas can’t get to the Internet.

“You can have all the broadband in the world but it won’t help that kid at home unless he/she has a computer,” Adelstein said.

He acknowledged the challenge rural telcos face – to roll out high-bandwidth networks with services that are affordable “in every part of the country.” Indeed, if the FCC implements one of its recommended USF reforms – subsidizing broadband rollouts with USF money – rural telcos would be well on their way to making that happen.

Finally, Adelstein praised NTCA members for providing wireless services to their customers. He also said the ongoing 700MHz spectrum auction (“The biggest, most important auction we’re going to have for years to come.”) will help them further their wireless initiatives. The 700MHz band is known for its ability to carry wireless signals long distances. Rural telcos harnessing that technology will make sure “rural America is second to none in terms of the quality of service you provide to your customers,” said Adelstein.

FCC www.fcc.gov
NTCA www.ntca.org

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