The FCC has sent a letter to AT&T asking it to explain comments that it would halt its investments in fibre pending the outcome of the proposed net neutrality rules. Following President Barack Obama's call for the FCC to implement the strictest net neutrality rules possible, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the company would limit its fibre deployment to the "2 million additional homes" that are commitments under its planned DirecTV acquisition and that any other deployment would depend on the outcome of the Commission's 'Open Internet' regulation.
The FCC asked AT&T to provide details on the current number of houses passed by its fibre deployment, including a breakdown by technology used, as well as the same details on its plans before and after the net neutrality announcement. The regulator also wants to know whether AT&T's FTTP business model shows further investment would now be unprofitable, even for the promised 2 million more homes passed. The data should be backed up by all AT&T's documents on its decision to limit the deployment to 2 million more households. The operator has until 21 October to meet the request for information.
