Washington, D.C., December 7, 1998 - The Alliance for Public Technology (APT), a non-profit organization comprised of consumer leaders and organizations, applauded the cooperation between the local telephone industry and the high technology industry intended to foster deployment of advanced telecommunications services to the home.

"The agreement on principles to promote widespread deployment of advanced networks is an exciting development towards APT's goal that advanced telecommunications services reach all residential consumers," said APT general counsel Maureen Lewis. "This coalition of telephone and computer companies promises to facilitate the widespread deployment of high-speed, high capacity networks envisioned by Section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act." The provision obligates the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take deregulatory action to encourage the deployment of advanced telecommunications services to all Americans.

APT, with the broad support of a variety of public interest organizations, developed the concept of universally available advanced telecommunications networks found in Section 706. Since passage of Section 706, APT has been urging the FCC to implement the provision so that all members of society could enjoy the life enhancing benefits of advanced telecommunications technologies.

"Although the Commission has responded slowly in the past, we hope that today's agreement will motivate the FCC quickly to enact policies that promote rapid infrastructure deployment," Lewis said. "Now we need the FCC's leadership to ensure that the deployment reaches all American homes and that the services these sophisticated networks deliver are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. Working together, everyone, especially residential consumers, can win. Perhaps then the threat of the 'digital divide' between information 'haves and have nots' will disappear as this century ends and the Information Age begins."

The Alliance for Public Technology (APT) is a non-profit organization of more than 300 public interest groups and individuals. APT's members work together to foster broad access to affordable, usable information and communications services and technology for the purpose of, for example, bringing better and more affordable health care to all citizens, expanding educational opportunities for lifelong learning, enabling people with disabilities to function in ways they otherwise could not, creating opportunities for jobs and economic advancement, and making government more responsive to all citizens.