BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3
Communications (NYSE: LVLT) issued the statement below in reaction
to steps taken at today's Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
meeting to unlock the market for business data services (formerly
known as "special access" services).
For more than a decade, the FCC has investigated the
competitiveness of pricing and terms for business data services –
including "demand lock up terms," which forestall competition for
these services – to protect consumers, competitors and the broader
U.S. economy. The FCC's data, collected in the most thorough
examination of this market ever conducted, reveals incumbent
telephone companies are the only providers of these services in 77
percent of locations.
Today, the FCC voted to adopt an Order and Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, which begins the process of breaking the
incumbents' hold on this market for the benefit of consumers,
competitors and the broader U.S. economy.
Below is a statement from Joseph
Cavender, vice president and assistant general counsel for
federal affairs at Level 3 Communications:
Level 3 congratulates the FCC for adopting an Order that will
help unlock the $45 billion-per-year
market for business data services. U.S. consumers use and
indirectly pay for these services every time they use their smart
phone, take money from an ATM, or make a purchase with a credit or
debit card. Freeing up the market is a critical step in unleashing
competition for these vital network services and spurring a
virtuous cycle of innovation and investment for the U.S. economy.
Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Wheeler and his colleagues, we
believe some relief may finally be in store for customers in the
business data services market. The proposed rulemaking also adopted
today sets the stage for the necessary next steps to more generally
fix this broken market. Getting these reforms right will be
critical to enhancing wireless broadband deployment, spurring
competition, investment and innovation, and reducing costs in
healthcare, education and nearly every sector of the economy. We
look forward to working with the FCC toward achieving those
objectives.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications,
Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local,
national and global communications services to enterprise,
government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio
of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure
solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area
Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and
cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500
markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform
anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected
by extensive undersea facilities. Level 3 services are provided by
subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. For more
information, visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter,
Facebook and LinkedIn.
© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3,
Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either
registered service marks or service marks of Level 3
Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and elsewhere. Any other
service names, product names, company names or logos included
herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective
owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3
Communications, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some statements
made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are
based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These
forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and
are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of
which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual
events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the
statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from
achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the
company's ability to: increase revenue from its services to realize
its targets for financial and operating performance; develop and
maintain effective business support systems; manage system and
network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network
and computer system security measures; develop new services that
meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; manage the
future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain
competitive; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights;
manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global
economy; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market
pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its
network from other providers and interconnect its network with
other networks on favorable terms; successfully integrate future
acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory,
foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its
substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to
contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of
its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and
other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press
release should be evaluated in light of these important factors.
Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such
obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise.
Contact
Information
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Media:
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Investors:
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Francie
Dudrey
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Mark
Stoutenberg
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+1
720-888-5434
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+1
720-888-2518
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francie.dudrey@level3.com
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mark.stoutenberg@level3.com
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SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.