CTIA rallies against equal-access obligations

The mobile phone industry told the Federal Communications Commission that marketplace trends stand against extending monopoly-era equal-access obligations to the competitive wireless industry.
“The commission should reject attempts to harm wireless consumers and burden wireless carriers with needless regulations whose only rationale is to raise wireless carriers’ costs and thus shield incumbent LECs (local exchange carriers), and their customers, from the full benefits of intermodal competition,” stated cellphone trade group CTIA.
CTIA pointed out that the 1996 telecom act exempts wireless carriers from mandatory equal access, a legacy regulation originally intended to prevent the then-new Bell operating telephone companies from favoring then-long distance carrier AT&T over other long distance companies after the 1984 breakup of old Ma Bell.
“Wireless consumers do not choose a long-distance carrier because distance is irrelevant in wireless calling plans,” CTIA stated. The association said other telecom sectors are gravitating to the wireless model by offering combined service offerings.