OTI Urges FCC to Crack Down on Broadband Monopolies in Apartment Buildings

The Open Technology Institute urged the Federal Communications Commission to take action to improve broadband competition in multi-tenant environments (MTEs) such as apartment buildings. In comments submitted to the FCC, OTI outlined how internet providers broker kickbacks and other deals with property owners that block competitors from accessing the building. These anti-competitive agreements create de facto monopolies for the building’s tenants. OTI has long criticized these deals as a contributor to the United States’ high broadband prices and lack of competition. The FCC tried to prohibit these deals in a 2008 rulemaking, but internet providers have since found ways to circumvent those efforts. In July 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that called on the FCC to ban these sweetheart deals and close loopholes.