New America: Berkman Points to Open Networks

The mandate of interconnection rules, unbundling regulations and related policies has transformed Japan into an international broadband leader. As the Berkman study concludes, "Contrary to perceptions in the United States, there is extensive evidence to support the position, adopted almost universally by other advanced economies, that open access policies, where undertaken with serious regulatory engagement, contributed to broadband penetration, capacity, and affordability in the first generation of broadband."35 With the success of these policies in nations such as Japan, the FCC should begin to reassess its current policy framework and consider policies that address bottlenecks to robust competition in the U.S. broadband market. Beyond open access policies, Japan's grant program for rural local governments could also serve as useful tool to address our nation's rural broadband challenges.