CWA: Regulators Looking to "Slam the Door on Our High Speed Future"

Contact: Candice Johnson or Kendra Marr, CWA Communications, 202-434-1168, cjohnson@cwa-union.org and kmarr@cwa-union.org

Washington, D.C. -- The Verizon Wireless-Big Cable deal will cost thousands of jobs, raise prices for consumers and virtually guarantee that too many communities remain stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide. This time around, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice seem to have lost their focus on competition. 

This deal will allow former competitors to become partners, will kill jobs and hit consumers with higher prices. It will slam the door on our country’s high speed future unless regulators act in the public interest, not corporate special interests.

Regulators are demonstrating a real disconnect between supporting this deal and the Obama administration’s goals of affordable high speed Internet access for all and the good jobs that are necessary to push our sluggish economy forward.  

The remedy to ensure competition and good jobs is clear: the FCC and DOJ should bar cross marketing within the Verizon footprint and require Verizon to continue buildout of its high speed FiOs network.

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