The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Friday to end regulations requiring incumbent telecommunications carriers to share their DSL broadband connections with competitors.

The FCC, in a 4-0 vote, removed regulations that allowed competitors such as Earthlink to offer DSL over lines owned by the four giant incumbent telecom carriers, often called the Baby Bells. While large ISPs such as Earthlink have negotiated agreements with the Bells in place, some consumer advocates and telecom observers predicted the FCC's decision could kill off DSL service from small ISPs when the DSL network-sharing rules end in a year.

The FCC's decision Friday puts DSL regulation on equal footing with cable modem service after the U.S. Supreme Court in June rejected a challenge to an earlier FCC decision allowing cable companies to close off their networks to competitors.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin called the decision "momentous," with consumers benefiting from a "leveling of the playing field" between DSL and cable modem service. "I believe that, with the actions we take today, consumers will reap the benefits of increased Internet access competition and enjoy innovative high-speed services at lower prices," he added.

The four remaining Bells inherited much of their telecom networks from the breakup of the old AT&T monopoly in the 1980s. In an effort to spur competition, the FCC and U.S. Congress has required them to share parts of their networks with competitors at discounted prices, but in the last two years, the Republican-led FCC has moved away from those regulations.

Baby Bells SBC and Verizon cheered the FCC's decision, saying old rules requiring them to share parts of their networks with competitors discouraged them from investing in new products and offering new services. The decision will help the Bells meet President George Bush's goal of nationwide broadband availability by 2007, Verizon said in a statement.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.