Powell Praises SBC Move toward Network Investment

"The state of the industry is much better off this year than last because the talk about broadband and convergence is turning into real action and investment" said FCC Commissioner Michael K. Powell at a SuperComm event in Chicago.



Powell describe President Bush's goal of making broadband available to all Americans by 2007 as
achievable but ambitious. He said broadband should not be just about DSL or cable modems, but also include WiFi, WiMax, broadband over powerline and other forms of access.



In reaction to the SBC announcement of investing $6 billion in its access network, Powell responded simply "Hallelujah." He urged all three other RBOCs, as well as CLECs and anyone else interested in competing in this market, to invest in their networks as well. He defended his "light regulatory touch" saying new government regulation should never be pursued for its own sake but only if markets have failed or to ensure a specific social goal, such as emergency services.



As for industry forecasts, Powell predicts the industry will be "on fire" a year from now. By SuperComm 2005, he expects dramatic increases in the number of U.S. broadband subscribers as the industry finally enters the "hockey stick" curve of mass adopters.