FCC to Consider Improving Competitive Broadband Access for Multi-Tenant Buildings

FCC to Consider Improving Competitive Broadband Access for Multi-Tenant Buildings

Recently, the Wireline Competition Bureau invited the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its position on revenue sharing agreements, exclusive wiring arrangements, and exclusive marketing arrangements. Due to this, the FCC is soliciting comment from property owners and internet providers related to these potential changes. This might be best chance for improving internet and Wi-Fi access for multi-tenant buildings in our lifetime. It’s important that property owners and MDU property management companies have the freedom to select the best internet for their tenants with how rapidly technology changes in today’s age.

The Current State of Multi-Tenant Broadband Access

For decades, cable providers have put a stranglehold on property owners when it comes to broadband access, and they protect their monopoly by limiting choices available to property owners and their residents. This is often done without property owners even knowing they had given up their rights. Your properties and your tenants have the right to seek the best service.

An Opportunity for More Competition in MDU Broadband

If the FCC can be swayed, exclusive wiring arrangements, exclusive marketing agreements, and sale-and-leaseback arrangements will be made illegal. As it stands, current arrangements make it very easy for cable companies to tie up property owners and their residents while providing sub-standard service and support. As such, these arrangements should never have been legalized in the first place. Enacting these changes would allow for much more competition, which will greatly benefit internet providers as well as property owners and their residents. Dojo Networks®, and other specialized ISPs, can provide superior service and support, as well as deliver specialized solutions for multi-tenant buildings anywhere in the United States.

How exactly will improving the competitiveness of broadband access affect multi-tenant properties? Property owners and their residents will not only see lower prices and better speeds, they will also receive better service and support. This also has the potential to increase the value of your rental properties.

More competition will give you the power to hold your internet provider accountable for their service and support, which is a significant improvement over the current arrangement. Right now, if you are under one of these aforementioned agreements, you have no say with respect to making sure your residents are getting what they need from one of their most important utilities. With internet access becoming the fourth utility, I highly suggest that property owners and internet providers write comments to the FCC in support of this rule change.  You can read the release directly from the FCC here.

Please send your comments to Jesse Goodwin, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0958 or Benjamin.Goodwin@fcc.gov.