Public Knowledge Asks FCC To Protect Consumers In Underlying Telecom Service Market

The Federal Communications Commission is trying to figure out how to examine the market for some of the most popular telecom services used by big business - so-called "special access" services. Public Knowledge late Feb. 24 called on the Federal Communications Commission to make certain that consumer interests are taken into account into as it examines the structure of a market that sells its services to big business.

In comments to the FCC, PK argued that the so-called "special access" service prices have an impact on consumers: "This technical and obscure proceeding, that not one in a million Americans has ever even heard of, ultimately has more impact on everyone's pocketbook and bottom line than billion dollar stimulus and job creation measures debated in the Congress today."

The PK filing compared special access services used by big business to crude oil: "Consumers do not buy special access services directly anymore than they buy barrels of oil directly from the tanker. But when the price of crude oil goes up, consumers pay more for gas in their cars, more for groceries brought by truck to supermarkets, more to heat their homes, and so forth."