FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2008

TIA Applauds Hearing Exploring Removal of Barriers to Municipal Broadband

Local Choice Allows for Better, Quicker Deployment Across U.S.

Washington, D.C. - The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) applauded the efforts of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet today for exploring legislative that would maintain U.S. municipalities' control over whether and how best to deploy broadband to their citizens. The Subcommittee held a hearing on legislation, proposed by the office of Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), that also includes language on wireless consumer protection and spectrum allocation rules, both of which are highly relevant to TIA membership. The municipal broadband protections, however, are especially crucial to successfully reaching TIA's goal of universal broadband penetration in the near future.

"Many communities have identified significant need for advanced communications networks, whether for public safety, education, jobs or healthcare," said Danielle Coffey, TIA VP-Government Affairs. "Our members work tirelessly with U.S. municipalities as they fill in the gaps in achieving nationwide broadband deployment, while introducing additional competition and providing test beds for the new and innovative technologies our companies design and produce."

TIA has long supported municipal broadband deployments, and municipalities' ability to determine their own best path to broadband access and public safety connectivity. The legislation currently under discussion would prohibit state or county governments from banning municipal networks in the public sector, with a community input requirement and certain key safeguards against anticompetitiveness and circumvention of applicable laws.

For more information about TIA's advocacy on behalf of municipal broadband rights, please contact Ian Martinez at 703.907.7723 or imartinez@tiaonline.org.

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About TIA
For almost three decades, TIA has leveraged its global resources to create the best possible business environment within which our 500+ members can research, develop, manufacture, market and sell their products and services worldwide. The association accomplishes this through its expertise in standards, advocacy, business development, market intelligence, environmental compliance and information security. TIA's policy team opened its Washington, D.C., headquarters on Capitol Hill in January 2008. For more information, go to www.tiaonline.org.