NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th 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 CONTACT: January 16, 2009 Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668 Email: robert.kenny@fcc.gov FCC CHAIRMAN MARTIN ISSUES COMPREHENSIVE REPORT SHOWING COMMISSION’S SUCCESS OVER PAST FOUR YEARS IN PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND PROMOTING COMPETITION Washington DC – Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin J. Martin today issued a comprehensive report showing the Commission’s success in creating a regulatory environment that advanced consumer protections and promoted investment and industry competition – setting the rules of the road so that players could compete on a level playing-field. “Faced with such fast-paced technological changes, as Chairman, I always made decisions based on a fundamental belief that a robust, competitive marketplace, not regulation, is ultimately the greatest protector of the public interest,” Chairman Martins said. “As a regulatory agency, we did have a role to serve and we stepped in when the marketplace didn’t allow for sufficient competition to a former monopoly, when the market needed to be open to new entrants and technologies, or when the larger societal goals such as ensuring the needs of public safety, fell outside the market scope.” Chairman Martin’s accomplishments during his tenure at the FCC were guided by the philosophy of pursuing deregulation while focusing on what is best for the consumer. He has focused on establishing the appropriate regulatory environment that achieves the right balance between two competing interests: (1) to encourage investment in communications infrastructure and (2) to make sure consumers and innovation are not unintentionally or intentionally disadvantaged by the owners of that infrastructure. His efforts took many forms, ranging from the promotion of more competition across technology platforms to making sure consumers have access to broadband services without arbitrary blocking or delays. Fostering broadband deployment was a top policy priority because it affects nearly every aspect of consumers’ lives. The full report is available on the FCC’s web site at: www.fcc.gov . -FCC- Please visit www.fcc.gov for news and information about the Federal Communications Commission