1. A message from the men
and women working to bring
broadband to everyone.
The Communications Workers of America and the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers commend the Obama
Administration and Congress for moving ahead on a much
needed plan to bring high-speed broadband access to all and
restore the standing of the United States as an Internet leader.
We strongly support an open Internet and have been in the
forefront of the debate calling for full deployment of broadband.
The Federal Communications Commission has announced that
it is preparing to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on
policies relating to the Internet.
The Commission undertakes this rulemaking at a time of nearly
10 percent unemployment. It must ensure that this rulemaking
does not have an adverse impact on jobs and job creation.
The United States depends on private investment capital to
build next-generation wireline and wireless networks, and
create and maintain jobs in the industry. We cannot afford a
slowdown in capital investment, similar to that which took place
in the early part of this decade in response to a regulatory
framework that ignored market realities.
It is crucial that the Commission support the right policy mix
of incentives to sustain and enhance these investments that
are so critical to America’s future.