Telecom competition is having a “positive effect” on Florida, its Public...
Telecom competition is having a “positive effect” on Florida, its Public Service Commission said in a new 64-page report on the state’s 2011 telecom market released Aug. 1 to the Legislature (http://xrl.us/bnizb3). The report shows growth in new telecom services…
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like VoIP and wireless households and a decline in traditional landline phones. There were about 2.4 million Florida residential VoIP subscribers in December, a 20 percent increase from 2010, the report said. “The number of wireless handsets in service and VoIP customers in Florida far exceeds the 1.2 million wireline access lines served by CLECs.” Florida CLEC access lines increased last year by 4 percent and ILEC access lines dropped 8 percent, and overall wireline access lines for both decreased 6 percent to 6 million, said the commission. “Industry competition has helped consumers reap the benefits of state-of-the-art telecommunications services at affordable prices,” PSC Chairman Ronald Brisé said in a Wednesday statement (http://xrl.us/bnizb5). “Competition is also encouraging companies to create even more innovative services and pricing packages and to invest in telecommunications infrastructure, all very important for Florida’s economic development.” The PSC underscored the reliability of the new competitive services. “Based on the continued growth of interconnected VoIP and wireless-only households and the ongoing erosion of landline access lines, network reliability of non-ILEC providers appears to be sufficient,” the report said. It said 7 percent of Florida households lack phone service, according to July 2011 FCC estimates.