MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) has lent its support to the National Broadband Plan, released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a comprehensive strategy for dramatically improving the nation’s broadband networks and extending their benefits to all Americans.

"The MPAA joins the FCC in saluting the transformative power of the Internet to inform, educate and entertain Americans in bold new ways. We applaud the FCC for issuing a plan designed to connect all Americans to high-speed Internet, while recognizing that copyrighted content must be protected online if broadband is to thrive as an engine of growth and innovation for the 21st Century," said MPAA president and Interim CEO Bob Pisano.

"Protecting creative works against online theft not only will enable consumers to have greater access to the content of their choice, but also will help the nation’s creative industries continue to serve as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation. The motion picture and television industry, which comprises more than 115,000 businesses in all 50 states, is responsible for 2.4 million American jobs and more than $41.5 billion in wages to American workers. Online content theft directly and significantly erodes these economic contributions and the vital role that the motion picture and television industry, like all creative industries, can and should play in America’s economic recovery," Pisano said.