FCC Chair Calls for DSL Rules Change

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said he will push for a rules change that would repeal a key regulation for phone companies that offer digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband Internet connections. Currently, DSL connections are subject to the same rules as phone service, including a requirement that companies offering DSL allow competitors to lease access to their networks. For a long time phone companies have argued that the current rules put them at a competitive disadvantage relative to cable companies in the broadband market. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin agrees, saying that the current regulatory situation “is inhibiting broadband growth.” Martin said he has circulated a proposal to the other members of the FCC that would update the regulations to treat DSL service as an information service. Previously, the FCC had ruled that broadband service provided by cable companies is an information service, a ruling recently upheld by the Supreme Court.

CNET, 27 July 2005