Last week FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated his draft Open Internet order, which he circulated and considered at the Commission's February 26 open meeting. He outlined the order in a Wired magazine op-ed, and the FCC provided a fact sheet with more details.

COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering released a statement on the draft order, thanking Chairman Wheeler for "his leadership in providing a light-touch policy framework that will be a solid legal foundation for rules that prohibit blocking, discrimination and paid prioritization. This policy framework has worked successfully in the wireless industry, resulting in billions of dollars of investment and thriving competition. Investment across the entire Internet ecosystem will continue under this approach, as COMPTEL has recently highlighted in the record. We believe the Chairman's draft Order will continue to promote and encourage broadband investment and competition, and our members that are building fiber to wireless towers, schools and libraries, and last-mile networks in their local communities, will benefit from the open Internet policy framework."

Pickering added: "We are encouraged that the Chairman's proposal recognizes that the open Internet and interconnection are interrelated. We also are pleased to hear that the proposal clarifies Commission jurisdiction and seeks to apply a strong legal standard when ISPs use their terminating monopolies to harm consumers. It is critical that the Chairman's Order does not allow last-mile interconnection to be used as a means by which ISPs can skirt the open Internet protections and limit consumers from obtaining the speeds for which they've paid. We believe that the Commission can prohibit, on a case-by-case basis, instances where interconnection practices are being used to harm consumers and the virtuous circle of innovation and investment in the Internet. COMPTEL continues to support an approach that allows edge and network providers to obtain interconnection without paying ISP-imposed access tolls, which will avoid creating a loophole that will undermine the rest of the protections in the Order. We commend the Chairman for his leadership and for listening to the American people, as well as the good work Commission staff has performed in drafting the Order for consideration."