A Brief History of Competition Policies and Networks

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Technologies change, but the importance of competition endures.

In 1913, we were concerned about ensuring that all Americans had access to telephone service. In 2014, we are concerned about the ability of Americans to choose among competing suppliers of high-speed broadband, the kind that consumers increasingly demand. We have entered a new era, where we fervently believe that competition is better than regulation, but we carefully inquire whether competition does, or will, exist, and whether that competition is sufficient to deliver public interest benefits. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has called for the creation of an Agenda for Broadband Competition -- the ABCs of more choice. That includes the FCC, companies, and communities together. Because, as the Chairman said, “The best answer for limited competition is more competition, plain and simple.”


A Brief History of Competition Policies and Networks