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: July 31, 2012 Louis Peraertz, (202) 418-2100 louis.peraertz@fcc.gov STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN ON ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ENFORCEMENT BUREAU ENTERING INTO A CONSENT DECREE WITH VERIZON WIRELESS ON BLOCKING OF ACCESS TO TETHERING APPLICATIONS “I was deeply concerned when I heard of allegations that Verizon Wireless had requested that a major application store operator block Verizon’s customers from accessing tethering applications in the operator’s online market. One of the reasons the Commission chose, in December 2010, to apply less stringent Open Internet rules to mobile wireless services was its expectation that Verizon Wireless’s compliance with the openness conditions, which we imposed on carriers that operate on upper 700 MHz C Block spectrum, would promote greater consumer access to mobile applications and services. Today’s consent decree serves as a stark reminder that the Commission cannot take compliance with Open Internet rules for granted. “I thank Free Press for filing an informal complaint to bring this our attention. I also commend Michele Ellison and her staff at the Enforcement Bureau for entering a strong consent decree. The voluntary payment in excess of one million dollars and the requirement that legal counsel must first review communications with application stores about the availability of applications to Verizon Wireless customers send a strong message about how much this Commission cares about rules we adopt to protect consumers and promote competition.” -- FCC--