The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would prevent broadband providers and multiple tenant environments (MTEs) such as apartments and condominiums from entering into “bulk billing” agreements, which require tenants to purchase broadband from a specific provider. In a new insight, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Jeffrey Westling reviews the concerns regarding bulk billing agreements and considers how a blanket ban could jeopardize their significant benefits.

Westling concludes:

The FCC’s proposed rule could cause significant harms to consumers without producing meaningful benefits. Bulk billing allows for residents of MTEs to receive higher-quality broadband service at lower prices, and outstanding concerns about subsidy participation do not justify elimination of the practice.

Read the analysis