Information, please: FCC ruling protects Internet via cable from access mandate. (Top of the Week).(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, March, 2002 by McConnell, Bill

The courts and, probably, Congress are the next stops for a controversial FCC decision last week shielding cable broadband services from Internet-access obligations and nearly all local regulation. After conducting an 18-month inquiry, the FCC declared that local governments cannot force cable companies to carry competing ISPs, nor will the commission exercise its right to impose that obligation any time soon.

Its rationale is that, by discouraging investment, mandatory access would impede the roll-out of broadband services. The 3-1 decision was an expected but nevertheless critical victory for the cable industry. "The FCC has established a needed national policy for cable Internet services," said Robert Sachs, president of the National Cable &...

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