Federal Communications Commission FCC 07-111
STATEMENT OF 
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
Re:  Telecommunications Services Inside Wiring Customer Premises Equipment, CS Docket No. 95-
184, Implementation of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992: 
Cable Home Wiring, MM Docket No. 92-260, Clarification of the Commission’s Rules and 
Policies Regarding Unbundled Access to Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers’ Inside Wire 
Subloop, WC Docket No. 01-338, Report and Order and Declaratory Ruling
  
Today we take action to ensure that the pro-competitive, deregulatory goals of the 1996 Act are 
realized by removing economic and operational barriers to infrastructure investment in the 
communications market.  Competition is ultimately the best protector of the consumer’s interest.  It is the 
best method of delivering the benefits of choice, innovation, and affordability to American consumers. 
Consistent with my commitment to fostering a competitive marketplace and consumer choice, I 
have and will continue to encourage new entrants trying to break into both the voice and video markets.  
Today we take an important step to facilitate competition in both markets by addressing the ability of 
new competitors to use the internal wiring of both incumbent telephone and cable operators in a 
consistent fashion.  
Specifically, we are granting Cox’s petition for declaratory ruling regarding the scope of access 
to incumbent telephone companies’ inside wire in apartment buildings. This decision allows a new 
entrant competing to provide telephone service to gain access to inside wiring, thereby facilitating 
competition between telephone providers to serve customers who live in apartment buildings.
Similarly, the Order also finds that a new entrant competing to provide cable service can gain 
access to inside cable wiring that is “physically inaccessible.”  This ruling thereby facilitates competition 
between cable providers to serve customers who live in apartment buildings.
The action we take today seeks to foster competition across different platforms and is 
competitively and technologically neutral.  Importantly, we are seeking to support all new entrants and do 
not favor one technology or industry over another.  Moreover, we achieve regulatory parity by applying a 
consistent regulatory framework across platforms.  This Order demonstrates the Commission’s 
commitment to ensure that all consumers—including those living in apartment buildings—benefit from 
competition in the provision of voice and video services.