A letter organized by the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) and signed by the Market Institute, was sent today to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo with nearly three dozen signatories representing more than 30 national and state free-market organizations expressing concern with the Biden Administration’s disregard for Congressional intent in its efforts to impose rate regulation on broadband Internet access service.
Despite a clear Congressional prohibition on rate regulation in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has ignored the law and used implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to impose price controls on broadband. The letter outlines multiple statements from NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and Secretary Raimondo, including statements made under oath, opposing rate regulation. Despite those assurances, the letter includes evidence that NTIA has been disregarding the law and telling states to regulate prices.
“NTIA is a subsidiary of the Department of Commerce,” the letter to Secretary Raimondo continues. “We urge you to take the necessary steps to undo rate regulation, including by making clear to states they are prohibited from rate regulating and rejecting any BEAD plans that include price setting of any kind.”
Read the entire letter here (PDF) or below.
CFIF-Coalition-letter-to-Commerce-re-broadband-rate-regulation
