Smart Buildings Policy Project Commends FCC Access Decision as Step in Right Direction for Consumers.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2000

The Smart Buildings Policy Project (SBPP), a growing coalition of competitive carriers, consumer groups, software providers and telecommunications equipment providers, commended today's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision on building access as a good step forward in the effort to ensure that all Americans have access to the communications provider of choice as Congress intended by passing The Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The FCC's decision will impact small and medium sized businesses located in multi-tenant office buildings, which account for approximately 80 percent of the nation's economy, and the 90 million Americans living in multi tenant apartment buildings.

The FCC today committed to ensuring that building tenants have access to their telecommunications carrier of choice. The agency prohibits exclusive contracts between carriers and building owners and confirms that carriers have access to utility conduits and rights-of-way within buildings.

In addition, the FCC committed to exert pressure on the real estate community to comply with the industry's access commitments with the threat of additional action in the future should access problems continue to occur.

The Chairman expressed the Commission's intention to continue monitoring marketplace developments in order to prevent building owners from exploiting their bottleneck control over access to buildings in a manner that impairs competitive choices for consumers.

"We are gratified to see that the FCC has recognized that real barriers exist in the multi-tenant marketplace and that the Commission needs to step in to remedy them," said SBPP spokesman Tom Cohen. "We continue to look forward to working with the Commission and to help further their efforts to bring communications choices to all Americans."

The FCC's decision to move forward on the building access issue is the second instance in less than a week where a branch of the Federal Government has taken steps toward breaking open one of the last bottlenecks between the consumer and the telecommunications marketplace.

On Friday, both houses of Congress passed a nondiscriminatory telecommunications access policy for buildings used by Federal agencies. By doing so, Congress has acknowledged that there are building access barriers to competition in the telecommunications marketplace and that the Federal government needs to intervene to ensure that consumers residing in multi-tenant buildings have a choice when selecting their communications provider.

The measure was included in the Transportation spending bill (HR-4475) conference report (106-140) and directs the executive branch to, "...identify building telecommunications access barriers and take necessary steps to ensure that telecommunications providers are given fair and reasonable access to provide service to Federal agencies in buildings where the Government is the owner or tenant." President Clinton is expected to sign the bill into law.

About the SBPP

The Smart Buildings Policy Project is a growing coalition of telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers, and organizations that support nondiscriminatory telecommunications carrier access to tenants in multi-tenant environments.

The SBPP presently includes Alcatel, the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS), AT&T Corp, the Commercial Internet Exchange, the Competition Policy Institute, CompTel (Competitive Telecommunications Association), Digital Microwave Corporation, Focal Communications, The Harris Corporation, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), the International Communications Association (ICA), Lucent Technologies, NEXTLINK Communications, Nokia Inc., Telecommunications Industry Association, P-Com Inc., Siemens, Teligent, Inc., Time Warner Telecom, Winstar Communications, Inc., Wireless Communications Association and WorldCom.