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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACTS  March  3,  2005  David  Fiske  202-  418-  0513 
 Richard  Diamond  202-  418-  0506 


 FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  Commends  Swift  Action  to  Protect  Internet  Voice  Services 
 The  Enforcement  Bureau  of  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  reached  a  $15,000  consent  decree  today  with  Madison  River  Communication,  LLC  that  will  ensure  uninterrupted 
 Internet  voice  service  on  the  company’s  network. 
 “We  saw  a  problem,  and  we  acted  swiftly  to  ensure  that  Internet  voice  service  remains  a  viable  option  for  consumers,”  said  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell. 


 According  to  the  terms  of  the  consent  decree,  Madison  River  commits  that  it  will  refrain  from  blocking  VOIP  traffic  and  ensure  that  such  blocking  will  not  recur.  The  company  will  pay 
 a  contribution  of  $15,000  to  the  United  States  Treasury  to  settle  this  matter. 
 “The  industry  must  adhere  to  certain  consumer  protection  norms  if  the  Internet  is  to  remain  an  open  platform  for  innovation”  said  Powell. 


 Powell  has  laid  out  his  vision  of  “Internet  Freedom”,  a  series  of  principles  by  which  any  company  that  intentionally  breaks  a  consumer’s  connection  to  the  Internet  violates  the  openness 
 that  consumers  have  come  to  expect. 
 “In  my  view,  the  surest  way  to  preserve  ‘Net  Freedom’  is  to  handle  these  issues  in  an  enforcement  context  where  hypothetical  worriers  give  way  to  concrete  facts  and—  as  we  have 
 shown  today—  real  solutions,”  said  Powell. 


 –FCC– 
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