LETTER: Broadband industry is not the bad guy

Talk about it

To the Editor:

Your story suggesting that consumers face higher prices and less choice for broadband service (“Phone cos. lose broadband subscribers,” Aug. 14) misses some rather fundamental facts. In most places, consumers have anywhere from six to 12 Internet service providers from which they can choose. This includes a telephone provider, a cable provider, one or two cable over-builders (e.g., RCN) and at least four 4G wireless providers.

The FCC reports that nearly 97 percent of the nation has access to greater than three megabits per second (Mbps) speed with an average speed of about 15 Mbps — high speed broadband by nearly anyone’s definition.

And when measured on a per megabits per second basis, prices have actually declined over the decade while speeds have vastly increased.

The chicken-little sky is falling criticism has become a cottage industry for self-styled critics who want to get a headline or raise money for their tax-exempt organization. But the reality is that the broadband industry is creating jobs, spawning new innovation and applications, creating opportunities for minority entrepreneurs and small business owners — and getting all of us more information, education and entertainment than ever before.

Roger Campos is president & CEO of the Minority Business RoundTable.

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