Don’t Delay the Fiber Future

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There is no disputing that fiber is the best wireline broadband communications infrastructure. So it is no surprise that communities across the country are trying to attract fiber deployments in their areas and President Barack Obama has created a Broadband Opportunity Council to identify ways of removing barriers to new broadband deployment. That is why it is strange that some parties are asking the Federal Communications Commission to consider rules that, rather than encouraging the move to fiber, would divert investment dollars into the very legacy copper networks that they have already acknowledged cannot provide real competition for cable at the higher speeds.

Make no mistake, rules that force companies to invest in copper networks, even where they are already deploying new fiber networks, would significantly delay the fiber future. Specifically, some parties are asking the FCC to adopt rules to address “de facto copper retirement,” a made-up problem based on the unfounded claim that copper networks are being allowed to deteriorate to the point of not being usable. Despite some cherry-picked anecdotes provided by advocates with a vested interest in having us spend more money on two parallel wireline networks, the objective performance data makes it clear that there simply is not a problem. The FCC and other policy makers rightly recognize that only new fiber deployments can improve the quality and range of services available to consumers, while also accelerating competition at the highest broadband speeds. Creating new rules that would divert investment from fiber to keep redundant copper networks would be a major step backwards for consumers and competition.


Don’t Delay the Fiber Future