Is it possible that the U.S. could be violating its World Trade Organization commitments (under the WTO Basic Telecommunications Agreement) by supporting the efforts of AT&T and Verizon to bar new entrants from providing broadband access services using their networks?

The U.S. and its trading partners have promised to require "major suppliers" of public telecommunications services (entities with significant market power) to allow interconnection to their networks "under non-discriminatory terms, conditions (including technical standards and specifications) and rates and of a quality no less favourable than that provided for its own like services
or for like services of non-affiliated service suppliers or for its subsidiaries or other affiliates."

Verizon and AT&T don't want to allow anyone to connect to their fiber networks to provide competing broadband access services.

Back in 2001, the office of the United States Trade Representative cited those obligations when it strenuously objected to Deutsche Telekom's obstructionist approach:

Concerns raised in this year's review [by USTR of Deutsche Telekom] relate to (1) unbundled loop rates, (2) excessive co-location conditions and provisioning delays (i.e. relating to access to space in DT buildings), (3) absence of a reference interconnection offer [a standard fee for connection], and (4) excessive licensing fees. Additional areas of concern involve alleged moves to lift price controls on DT in certain sub-markets, continued backlogs on interconnection requests, pricing of Internet services, and lack of transparency in judicial proceedings. . . . .

USTR welcomes the progress Germany has made over the past few years in developing a competitive telecommunications market. It would be unfortunate if that progress were defeated by further efforts by DT to stifle competitive entry. We urge Germany to remain vigilant in its efforts to prevent anticompetitive practices. 

This may be where all the confusing talk about "private networks" being provided by Verizon and AT&T comes from.  Arguably, if these networks are public (and they are), and if these actors have market power (and they do), then the U.S. can't release them from interconnection requirements without violating its own treaty obligations.

Tomorrow -- back to something less fraught.  Like the weather.  Oh -- right -- the weather is fraught too.