INCOMPAS Promotes Competition in 2026 Communications Marketplace Report Comments

Congress requires that the FCC assess the state of competition every other year in a Communications Marketplace Report. INCOMPAS last week filed comments to provide the FCC with information to further enable and promote competition in the communications marketplace.

Staci L. Pies, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Policy at INCOMPAS, said in a statement:

“The 2026 Communications Marketplace Report arrives at a critical inflection point for competitive communications policy,"

In the time since the 2024 report was published, three significant developments have materially altered the landscape, making the Commission's competition analysis more consequential than in prior cycles:


• Artificial intelligence is driving significant new demand for high-capacity, low-latency network infrastructure, creating competitive opportunities while raising important questions about how AI-ready infrastructure markets will develop and who will be positioned to serve them.
• BEAD funding has moved from planning to deployment, and early award data raises questions worth examining about whether public investment is producing durable new competitive entry alongside expanded coverage.
• The Commission's pending IP interconnection proceeding has reached a decision point that will directly affect the competitive conditions in which voice network modernization occurs.

In addition to these developments, fixed broadband markets remain highly concentrated, with roughly 60 percent of serviceable locations limited to one or two providers at meaningful speed tiers. Meanwhile, competitive providers continue to face significant structural barriers to deployment.

Competition, supported by clear statutory authority and evidence-based policymaking, remains the primary driver of affordability, innovation and consumer choice. INCOMPAS looks forward to continuing to work with the Commission on these critical issues and ensuring the 2026 Communications Marketplace Report reflects that reality.”

Broadband Breakfast OpEd

Data Centers are America's Most Misunderstood Infrastructure Asset

Last week, INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering published an op-ed in Broadband Breakfast entitled 'Data Centers are America's Most Misunderstood Infrastructure Asset." 

He said that "[w]e cannot champion a future driven by American innovation while simultaneously rejecting the very infrastructure required to power it. As communities across the country debate whether to welcome data centers into their communities, the facts highlight their critical role in powering economic growth and strengthening U.S. infrastructure." 

He noted that the case for data centers rests on meaningful tax revenue, durable jobs, grid investment and the digital infrastructure that lets rural communities share in the AI economy.

Read the full op-ed.

Barrasso Bill to Increase Broadband Access on Federal Land

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced legislation that would streamline the permitting process for broadband and telecommunications infrastructure on federal land to expand access to high-speed internet in rural areas.

The bill would;

• Require federal land management agencies to issue new regulations that would streamline the process for broadband applications on federal land.
• Promote online application tracking for broadband infrastructure projects through the existing permitting dashboard established under the FAST Act.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) is a cosponsor of the bill.