Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy

The Internet has profoundly impacted numerous aspects of daily life for many people in the United States and is increasingly vital to the American economy. In response to recent debate relating to Internet access issues, Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras announced the formation of the Internet Access Task Force (“Task Force”) in August 2006 and invited interested parties to meet with the Task Force to discuss issues relating to Internet access generally and net neutrality in particular. The Task Force held a two-day public workshop on broadband connectivity competition policy in February 2007 (“Workshop”) to bring together consumer advocates and experts from business, government, academia, and the technology sector to explore competition and consumer protection issues relating to broadband Internet access. The purpose of this Report is to summarize the Task Force’s learning on broadband Internet connectivity in general and network neutrality in particular, as developed from the Workshop, meetings between the Task Force and various interested parties, and the FTC staff’s independent research.