Future of Music Coalition joined a broad array of consumer, creator and public interest groups to express concerns about Verizon’s plans to discontinue standalone retail broadband service.  We argued that the practice of tying broadband service to other services prevents consumer choice, limits consumers from porting telephone numbers, and essentially forces consumers to purchase local services they do not want – either because they have a wireless option or because they prefer to use VoIP or other alternatives.  The net effect is to act as a drag on the adoption of broadband and new IP technologies as well as alternative, competitive voice options by making other standalone services economically unattractive.