Statement of NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell on Behalf of All NCTA Employees on the Passing of Ralph Roberts
“NCTA is deeply saddened by the passing of Ralph Roberts, one of our country's greatest business pioneers and a man who truly embodied the American dream. He built much of the cable industry with his own hands, taking a small nascent service offering consumers greater television choices and building it into one of the most significant industries in the country today. Ralph's impact will live on forever. "Ralph was a man of grace. He showed us that you can succeed, while remaining warm, kind and generous to others. His impact on the lives of friends, colleagues and family are his greatest
Statement of NCTA Regarding House Judiciary Committee Passage of the Innovation Act
“NCTA applauds Chairman Goodlatte and the House Judiciary Committee on passage of the bipartisan Innovation Act (H.R. 9). This legislation is a strong step in helping to deter patent trolls so that American companies can focus on innovation and growth instead of abusive and unjustified patent litigation. We urge the full House to take up and address this important legislation."
Statement of NCTA Regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Decision
“While being granted a stay is always a long shot, we are pleased that the Court has agreed to expedite the review of our appeal of the FCC’s misguided decision to impose utility-style regulation on Internet networks. We are now ready to get to the merits of the case and are confident as ever that we will prevail.”
Statement of NCTA Regarding Markup of the DOTCOM Act
“We applaud the efforts of Rep. Shimkus, Ranking Member Pallone and the entire House Communications and Technology Subcommittee to reach bipartisan consensus on the DOTCOM Act (HR 805). This legislation provides important protections and appropriate Congressional oversight to ensure that transition of the oversight of IANA to the multi-stakeholder model is managed responsibly. The Internet is one of the most important technologies in today’s global economy and the cable industry stands ready to assist Congress, the Administration and all stakeholders in ensuring that the IANA transition is a
Statement of NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell Regarding House Passage of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act
“We applaud Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Eshoo on today’s House passage of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (HR 235). The bill will finally make permanent the current moratorium on burdensome state and local taxes on Internet access. By preventing these taxes, the bill keeps down the cost of connectivity, enabling more American consumers and businesses to join the online world and the Internet to continue to power U.S. economic growth. We urge the Senate to quickly pass its companion legislation so this tax moratorium can finally become permanent.”
Statement of NCTA Regarding the Senate Judiciary Committee Passage of the PATENT Act
“We applaud Senate Judiciary Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Leahy, and Senators Cornyn, Schumer, Hatch, Lee and Klobuchar on Senate Judiciary Committee passage of S. 1137, the Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship Act (PATENT Act). This bipartisan legislation will help deter patent trolls and the abusive patent lawsuits that cause harm to our nation’s economy. We urge the full Senate and the House to pass this important legislation."
Statement of NCTA Regarding the FCC's Rules on Effective Competition
Following a statement released by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, he confirms the FCC has adopted rules concerning effective competition. “We commend the FCC for its modest, sensible and pro-consumer action to update procedures for assessing effective competition. Consumers today enjoy the benefits of a rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive video marketplace that is offering a huge array of choices from cable, satellite, telco and Internet video providers. The growth in competition over the past two decades provides clear evidence that the effective competition threshold established by
Statement of NCTA Regarding House Committee Passage of the FCC Process Reform Act
“We applaud members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on passing H.R. 2583, the FCC Process Reform Act. As the FCC considers critical technology and communications issues, this legislation encourages greater sunshine in FCC decision making so businesses can better invest and innovate and all Americans can access more information about policy decisions. We hope the full House will soon consider and approve this legislation.”
Statement of NCTA Regarding the Reintroduction of the Broadband Adoption Act
“We welcome the reintroduction of the Broadband Adoption Act by Rep. Doris Matsui and Senators Chris Murphy and Cory Booker, and the renewed focus it shines on the important issue of broadband adoption. While broadband is the fastest growing consumer technology in history, a small but significant percentage of U.S. consumers do not yet subscribe or see the relevance of the Internet in their daily lives. The cable industry has invested hundreds of billions of dollars to build networks that reach 93 percent of homes and we have worked closely with local, state and federal government agencies and
Statement of NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell Regarding Partial Stay Filing with D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
{Background: Today, NCTA and other associations and companies representing a wide array of broadband providers filed a consolidated petition with the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to stay the effectiveness of the FCC’s decision to reclassify broadband Internet access service as a Title II common carrier service. The joint motion is attached.} "Today, we have joined with other parties in seeking to stay the FCC’s decision to reclassify broadband as a common carrier service. Such relief is necessary to avoid the serious and substantial harms that service providers and consumers alike