(Washington) – The Senate Commerce Committee today held a hearing on “public safety and competition” issues relating to the FCC’s upcoming 700 MHz auction. In response, the following comment may be attributed to Mike McCurry and Christopher Wolf, co-chairs of the Hands Off the Internet coalition (www.HandsOff.org):

“Net neutrality will be every bit as expensive and unnecessary for the wireless Internet as it is for the wired web. The FCC’s restraint during the last decade is a key reason why mobile calling prices have dropped 80 percent. It has spurred the vibrant competition that ultimately is a far more effective protector of consumer choice than government regulation. There’s no reason the Commission should walk away from the policies that created this success, especially with broadband wireless use surging.”

The Hands Off the Internet coalition is a Washington, DC-based coalition of companies and nonprofit organizations that believes the Internet has flourished because government has not tried to regulate it. Members include Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, 3M, the National Association of Manufacturers, FiberControl, and Cinergy Communications. Nonprofit members include Citizens Against Government Waste, the American Conservative Union and the National Black Chamber of Commerce.