INCOMPAS NEWS -- August 7, 2017

Rep. Eshoo has represented California's 18th congressional district since 1993, and was elected to the role of Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in 2011, becoming the first woman in the history of the subcommittee to serve in a leadership role. She continues to work to expand high-speed, affordable broadband, protect electronic privacy, free up more spectrum and transition our nation's 9-1-1 system to a next generation, IP-based network. As a strong champion of preserving an open internet, she has vowed to push back on Republican efforts to roll back the progress made on net neutrality regulations.

Rep. Eshoo will kick off The INCOMPAS Show on the night of Sunday October 15 at 5 p.m., with a view from Congress. The show also will include sessions on Monday and Tuesday that focus on the impact of policy on business:

Untangling the Web: The Impact of the Current Net Neutrality Debate - This interactive session will address what companies need to know as the FCC expects to move forward with a new Open Internet policy and the potential for Congress to offer a legislative solution.
Network Deployment Workshop: Opportunities and Impediments for Network Builders - This workshop will address regulations that create barriers to entry for companies that build networks and what individual companies can do to address and overcome these obstacles. It also will discuss policies that - if enacted - will promote broadband networks by facilitating and advancing fiber and infrastructure deployment.

Don't Miss Out

Register today for The INCOMPAS Show to ensure that you can reserve your room at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis and be only steps away from all the action.

Registration options include full conference, as well as single-day and reception passes. Discounted group pricing is also available for groups of five or more from a single company.

INCOMPAS Says Merger Information Necessary for Complete Net Neutrality Record

INCOMPAS continued to call on the FCC to include information from recent merger investigations in the Open Internet/net neutrality proceeding in a detailed new filing at the Commission. The merger review information requested by INCOMPAS pertains to the following cases: AT&T-Direct TV, Comcast-Time Warner Cable, Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Network and Comcast-NBCU.

In responding to objections from cable and AT&T last week, INCOMPAS made clear that the FCC already has seen such data and points out the economic analyses, underlying facts, and other data were necessary and crucial for investigators and regulators to examine the mergers that resulted in three companies coming to represent approximately 65 percent of the broadband market.

This data informed the Department of Justice and FCC in concluding that each of those providers has the incentive and ability to harm online content. The absence of such data in the current rulemaking would prevent the Commission from compiling a record sufficient to support any order or to withstand judicial review.

"We must have a full and complete net neutrality record. Cable and AT&T's apocalyptic overreaction to our request for merger information, already available at the FCC, clearly shows they have something to hide," INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering said in a press release. "The courts are destined to review any FCC order, and it doesn't take Matlock to see cable and AT&T want to hide evidence that will show both the means and the motive to do harm to consumers and competition in the event net neutrality protections are off the books. A closed process threatens to close the internet."

The INCOMPAS filing stresses:

Narrowly defined categories of merger data, like the full orders issued by the FCC, are necessary for a full and complete record.
Merger reviews have concluded, again and again, that broadband providers have the incentive and ability to close the internet.
Merger information is already protected, private and confidential at the FCC. INCOMPAS asked for this information to be treated under the same standards for all confidential and highly confidential information.

Rosenworcel and Carr Confirmed by Senate to Serve on FCC

The Senate last week confirmed Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr to fill open seats on the FCC.

In response, INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering said, "With a full plate of issues, America needs a full set of FCC commissioners at the table. We wish to congratulate both Jessica Rosenworcel and Brendan Carr on their Senate confirmations and look forward to working with them both on building a more open, competitive internet and broadband future.

"Jessica is a champion for the future and has always placed students, schools, public safety and the law of competition at the forefront of her policy-making. Brendan has a deep well of substantive spectrum and agency knowledge and we look forward to learning more about his vision for better broadband.

"We are living in a streaming revolution and American consumers, innovators, schools and small business leaders need more choices for broadband that bring faster speeds and more affordable choices."