Chairman Wheeler Promises FCC Vote on Business Data Services in 2016

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said his agency will vote on new rules on business data services “by the end of the year.” “Action on this issue is a long time coming, but that time has arrived,” Chairman Wheeler told an audience at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas (NV).

An FCC proposal aiming to revamp the business data services (BDS) market, also known as “special access,” was adopted by the agency in April. The proposed rule would impose price caps on the bulk data connections that telecommunication companies provide to businesses, particularly in markets deemed uncompetitive. “In many areas, competition in the supply of backhaul remains limited,” Chairman Wheeler said. “And that can translate into higher costs for wireless networks, higher prices for consumers, and an adverse impact on competition.” He said the FCC’s proposal will “encourage innovation and investment” while “ensuring that lack of competition in some places cannot be used to hold 5G hostage.” Chairman Wheeler said the commission’s proposal is “supported by the nation’s leading wireless carriers, save one.”