Investigate Telecom Network Resiliency, Groups Seek, Citing FCC Deregulation
Two dozen advocacy groups asked the House Communications Subcommittee that held an FCC oversight hearing Thursday (see [1912050043]) to ask the regulator to address their concerns about telecom network resiliency, in a letter Wednesday to Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and…
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ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio. The groups said "increasing numbers of Americans lack basic, reliable voice telephone service as providers allow their legacy networks to rust and degrade. Lack of maintenance and lack of emergency preparedness have contributed to lengthy outages in periods of natural disaster." They sought a "comprehensive investigation into national network reliability." They criticized industry for its history of urging policymakers to "ignore worries over critical infrastructure by promising us a shiny future of fiber and 5G." Recent communications problems from California wildfires raised concerns failures could be worse during an earthquake (see 1911200002), the letter said. Signers included Public Knowledge, Common Cause, the Greenlining Institute, National League of Cities, The Utility Reform Network. The FCC didn't comment Thursday.