A PYMNTS Company

US FCC Asked To Control Broadband Monopolies In Apartments

By  |  November 7, 2021

The OTI urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to improve broadband competition in multi-tenant environments (MTEs) such as apartment buildings.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    In comments submitted to the agency, OTI outlined how internet providers broker kickbacks and other deals with property owners that block competitors from accessing the building. These anti-competitive agreements create de facto monopolies for the building’s tenants. OTI has long criticized these deals as a contributor to the United States’ high broadband prices and lack of competition.

    The FCC tried to prohibit these deals in a 2008 rulemaking, but internet providers have since found ways to circumvent those efforts. In July, President Biden issued an executive order that called on the FCC to ban these sweetheart deals and close loopholes.

    Joshua Stager, deputy director of broadband and competition policy at New America’s Open Technology Institute said “For too long, monopoly-minded internet providers have colluded with property owners to restrict choice and raise broadband prices in apartment buildings. These sweetheart deals are one of the reasons the broadband market is so anticompetitive, particularly in urban areas. We need regulations that end these schemes. Home internet is an essential service, so the FCC should ensure tenants are getting the choice, affordability, and freedom they deserve.”

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.