WASHINGTON -- On Tuesday, Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai called the agency's ability to oversee Internet access services under common carriage rules a "hopelessly outdated" approach. The remarks continued the debate about the FCC's authority to require Internet service providers to abide by the non-discrimination and interconnection policies that currently govern telephone and enterprise telecommunications networks.

Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:

"Commissioner Pai's comments today repeat a common theme pushed by AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, but their position distorts reality and ignores the plight of consumers in America's uncompetitive broadband market.

"The principles that undergird common carriage are not outdated. They are incredibly important and are directly responsible for producing the Internet revolution. These protections allow all of us to speak freely online, and they give competitors and entrepreneurs a chance to introduce new products and services without the need for permission from the dominant phone and cable companies controlling broadband access. Without these policies, we never would have seen the innovations and economic growth the Internet has sparked.

"We need regulators to understand that new technology is not a magical solution to the natural monopoly problems inherent in communications networks. The transition to new transmission technologies didn't alter the fundamental reality that the wires and channels carrying our communications are sold in a near-monopoly environment.

"The prices consumers pay each month for wired and wireless Internet access services continue to rise, and that is a direct result of the lack of competition in our markets. We need the FCC to spend more time defending the public interest, not the interests of the corporate communications giants."