Whippany, NJ – September 18, 2006 – The National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) today released the inaugural edition of a report entitled Trends 2006: Making Progress with Broadband. The report shows that DSL deployment is booming in rural America. There are now 1,044 members of NECA’s traffic sensitive pool, providing over 630,000 DSL lines. This is a substantial increase from the 814 companies that were providing DSL in 2003 and an even more substantial increase from 1999 when only 151 members had a total of 20,000 DSL lines.

“Trends” is being released at EXPO 2006, NECA’s annual training and industry issues conference in Las Vegas. The report is also available at: http://www.neca.org/source/NECA_Publications_1152.asp   

“Trends” indicates an industry wide shift in communications network technology that allows consumers to access content on the Internet, as well as multimedia content such as voice, data, and video services over one broadband pipe. Rural telephone companies have begun deploying Ethernet, packet and softswitch technology as replacements for circuit switching devices so their customers can receive the latest voice, data and video services. The study also finds that companies have upgraded cable and wire networks to provide high speed broadband connections.

NECA’s research also points out that delivering the service consumers want will require not only significant additional investment, but also the continuation of stable funding mechanisms including sustainable universal service support and adequate intercarrier compensation.

The “Trends” report will be published annually and will track the progress of network technology deployment and how those technologies are converging. “Trends” replaces NECA’s Access Market Survey report from previous years. That report was last published in 2003.