FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2007

TIA Urges FCC to Find Balance Between Connectivity and Network Management

TIA's Connectivity Principles Can Help Guide Regulators.

Arlington, Va. - Consumers should have the right to connect to the Internet and enjoy the content, services and devices of their choice, the Telecommunications Industry Association told the Federal Communications Commission today in a filing in response to the FCC's Broadband Industry Practices Notice of Inquiry (NOI).

The FCC can protect consumers' connection rights, a principle goal of the NOI, while preserving network service providers' ability to provide enriched and robust services. In a rapidly converging communications environment, in which ever more data-rich services are demanded at ever higher speeds, carriers must be able to manage the increased data flow nimbly and effectively. "A competitive broadband market in the United States has thrived partly as a result of the light-touch regulatory approach the Commission has taken" on this kind of issue, the filing said.

TIA believes several core principles, such as full disclosure of providers' broadband plans and unfettered choice of applications over any network, are enough to ensure consumers' rights without taking a noble goal to a pernicious end by disallowing packet management and competitive pricing. Such onerous regulation would surely diminish quality of service and investment in our nation's next-generation network.

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About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association is the leading trade association in Washington, D.C., for the information, communications and entertainment technology industry. TIA serves suppliers to global markets through its leadership in standards development, domestic and international policy advocacy, and facilitating member business opportunities such as the co-owned NXTcomm. TIA represents the communications sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). For more information, go to http://www.tiaonline.org.