Publication Type: Statement
Date: 2/1/2007Contact: Rob Stoddard/Brian Dietz, 202/222/2350
Kyle McSlarrow, President & CEO, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), issued this comment on today’s discussion regarding broadband deployment at the Senate oversight hearing on telecommunications policy:
"Cable’s Internet service today is available to 94 percent of all U.S. homes and features access speeds averaging 5-15 megabits per second. This success story has been driven by cable’s investment of $110 billion in infrastructure and innovation, spurred by a deregulatory environment. We welcome the focus on broadband deployment by Senators and FCC Commissioners, and we encourage both Congress and the Commission to support policies that further encourage capital investment and network innovation, including reforms of current government programs to ensure they are targeting assistance to those areas of the country that currently are unserved with broadband access."
NCTA is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable industry, representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks. The cable industry is the nation’s largest broadband provider of high speed Internet access after investing $100 billion over ten years to build a two-way interactive network with fiber optic technology. Cable companies also provide state-of-the-art digital telephone service to millions of American consumers.