STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
Re: Inquiry Concerning the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability 
to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion, and Possible Steps to 
Accelerate Such Deployment Pursuant to Section 706 of the Telecommunications 
Act of 1996, GN Docket No. 07-45, Fifth Report
Since the Commission issued the Fourth Report on the availability of broadband 
services in 2004, this nation has made great strides in deploying advanced 
telecommunications services across America.  This report reflects many of those 
advances.  We are seeing impressive developments in new technologies using cable, 
copper, fiber, wireless, and satellite, that are giving Americans more choices and greater 
availability of advanced telecommunications services.  The truth is, America continues to 
enjoy the most dynamic and robust Internet economy in the world.  It’s important to note 
that we achieved this success not by regulatory fiat, but by keeping regulations minimal, 
thus allowing entrepreneurs to flourish.  Rigid command-and-control government 
mandates and arbitrary definitions and terminology would have inhibited creativity and 
growth, not fostered it.  As we move forward toward the next generations of broadband 
technologies, it is important to remember this important lesson from history: government 
cannot out-guess the genius of free markets; nor should it try.  
Nonetheless, we can only measure our progress with diverse and sound data.  
Currently, we use the data that the Commission receives through its broadband reporting 
requirements.  In a companion item today, we are adopting more granular and expansive 
reporting requirements that should allow the Commission to render more comprehensive 
analyses of advances in the marketplace.  However, this Commission, and all future 
commissions, should take great care to seek accurate and complete information that is 
useful to assess the state of broadband deployment.  We must be mindful to let the data 
speak for itself and analyze it with a variety of methodologies.  No one methodology can 
reveal the complete truth.  Accordingly, we should remind ourselves often that the 
process of data collection and analysis is iterative and that we must constantly strive to 
improve our performance in this regard.  Politics should play no part.  Anything less will 
not move America further ahead in this important area.