Incompas Meets With Pai, Pushes BDS, Pole, MDU, Programming Actions
Incompas urged the FCC to address wholesale access to business data services (BDS), pole attachments, access to multiple dwelling unit (MDU) residences and video programming. "Pro-competition policy is key to encouraging build-out of new broadband infrastructure that is both fast…
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and affordable," said an Incompas filing Monday in docket 16-138 and others on a meeting that CEO Chip Pickering and another official had with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and an aide. It said the group was encouraged by Pai's creation of a broadband deployment advisory committee (see 1701310033) and would do everything it can to assist the effort. Incompas said competitors have made significant investments to build broadband facilities to provide BDS to enterprise customers. "Nonetheless, given the bleak reality that last-mile facilities are uneconomic to duplicate in many instances, the footprint-barrier can only be overcome through reasonable wholesale access policies and pricing that enable providers (including incumbents attempting to compete outside their incumbent territories) to extend the geographic reach of their networks to off-net locations to create the multi-location service packages that this customer segment demands and encourage deployment where economically feasible," the filing said. On pole attachments, the group recommended the FCC amend its rules to authorize "one touch make-ready" service, whereby a contractor approved by the pole owner can do all make-ready work at one time. It also urged the FCC to (1) address incumbent provider use of "contractual methods to stymie development" of competitive broadband and video services in MDUs, and (2) help small video providers gain affordable access to video programming.