Telecom Policy Report articles from April 2003

Telecom Policy Report archives from April 2003

Welcome to Telecom Policy Report!
April 7, 2003... Our mission at Telecom Policy Report is to provide you with a unique, hard-hitting and analytic report of the week's most germane issues hitting the telecommunications regulatory and legislative landscape. We are your filter for the information...

Momentum Gaining For 'Special Access' Rulemaking.
April 7, 2003... AT&T Petition Garners Support From Business End-User Coalition The proverbial "next big thing" to be teed up at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Washington insiders tell TPR, likely will be a rulemaking on one of the mainstays...

Wireless Pushing For A Share Of The Universal Service Fund.
April 7, 2003... Wireless carriers are stepping up the pace of their lobbying efforts at the FCC in an effort to gain support for proposed changes in the Universal Service Fund (USF) that would allow wireless service providers to dip into the USF. For...

Congress Unlikely To Intervene In FCC's Triennial Review Decision.
April 7, 2003... Despite pressure from the influential Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and 21 state and local consumer organizations in 14 states, Congress is unlikely to intervene to reverse a Feb. 20 decision by the FCC that ends the socalled "line...

Procedures Revised For Narrowband PCS Spectrum Auction.
April 7, 2003... The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau this past week unveiled somewhat different procedures for its upcoming Narrowband PCS Spectrum Auction (i.e., Auction No. 50). The Bureau also set a new date for the start of the auction -- Sept. 24,...

People In The Loop.
April 7, 2003... * FCC General Counsel John Rogovin has named Linda Kinney as Acting Deputy General Counsel. Kinney currently serves as Associate General Counsel. She joined the commission in October 1994, and has held a variety of management positions at the...

TPR's Top 10 Picks In The Telecom Lobbying Arena.
April 7, 2003... There are thousands of lobbyists in Washington, DC. Truth be known, most of the so-called "consultants" as well as a large number of lawyers listed in the D.C. yellow pages are in fact lobbyists. Considering that all sorts of companies,...

Telecom Spenders Loom Large On 'All-Time Political Donors' List.
April 7, 2003... Political spending on telecom-related issues continues to drive the forces setting the agendas for legislative and regulatory policymaking. In the coming weeks, Telecom Policy Report will highlight key areas of the telecom arena where the...

Policymakers Brace For New Universal Service Debate.
April 14, 2003... USF Criteria Could Be Eye Of The Storm Is universal service really universal? And exactly what is its cost? These are the critical questions now facing federal regulators and policymakers - most of whom are bracing for what may well turn...

Wireless Carriers Press Hard For Expanded High Cost Support.
April 14, 2003... The wireless industry is continuing to push federal lawmakers and regulators for a bigger share of the Universal Service Fund (USF), as evidenced during last week's hearing before the Senate Commerce's communications subcommittee. This...

SBC, Birch Telecom Square Off Over Alleged 'False Statements'.
April 14, 2003... The FCC remains "several more weeks away" from issuing its Report and Order (R&O) in the Triennial Review proceeding, according to a source inside the agency, and this unusual delay is providing industry stakeholders lots of opportunity to...

Opposing Forces Battle Over SBC's Section 271 Application.
April 14, 2003... Further compounding the ability the Federal Communications Commission to quickly wrap up work on its Triennial Review, the attention of a significant number of senior level FCC staffers has been diverted to reams of documents pertaining to SBC...

Familiar Names Top List Of Telecom Industry's Biggest Donors.
April 14, 2003... This week, TPR takes a close look at the telecom industry's biggest political spenders. Listed below by rank are the industry's top 20 political donors for the 2001-2002 election cycle, according to records at the Federal Election Commission....

SBC's Second Try At Michigan Likely To Succeed.
April 21, 2003... Anticipating federal regulators' rejection of its Section 271 application for entry into Michigan's interstate long distance market, SBC Communications' withdrawal from the process merely slows the company's quest to offer long distance service...

Judges Lean Toward FCC In Wireless Number Portability Case.
April 21, 2003... The wireless industry may soon be compelled to get on about the business of incorporating local number portability (LPN) as part of its standard set of features. The industry has for many months avoided having to comply with an LPN mandate from...

Rambus Case May Adversely Impact Hi-Tech, Telecom Industries.
April 21, 2003... The hi-tech standards-setting community could soon face a raft of new policymaking measures that could radically alter the way its members communicate with one another, thus slowing the advance of new technologies. Sources closely following...

Tauzin's Telecom Connections Serve Him Well.
April 21, 2003... This week, TPR's "Money Trail" leads to one of the most powerful men in Congress -- Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Tauzin represents a district comprised of 14 coastal and river parishes in...

AT&T, Iowa Telecom Case Re-Ignites Access Debate.
April 28, 2003... Outcome Expected To Affect Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ratepayers A case now pending at the Federal Communications Commission -- one likely to have an overarching effect on the way the FCC treats so-called "access rates" -- is firing up...

David Vs. Goliath: The Little Guy Wins A Big One.
April 28, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission last week dealt a stunning blow to Verizon, the largest of the Baby Bells, when it found the company in violation of certain pro-competition measures mandated by the 1996 Telecommunications Act. T he FCC's...

Tennessee Politics Threaten State's E-Rate Program.
April 28, 2003... The quasi-governmental, non-profit Universal Service Administration Company's "Schools & Libraries" program, also known as the E-rate program, has, since its 1996 inception, been a source of much contention. But the state of Tennessee has added...

D.C. Circuit Slams FCC, Overturns $80,000 AT&T Fine.
April 28, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission has just taken one on the chin, losing an important court battle over its "anti-slamming" rules to AT&T. As a result, the agency is now compelled to return to the drawing board and redraft it's rules...

Consumer Group Demands Return Of 'Loaned' DTV Spectrum.
April 28, 2003... One of the most influential consumer organizations in the nation is pressing the Federal Communications Commission to snatch valuable spectrum from the broadcast industry - spectrum currently being used in the transition to digital television...

Dingell's Devotion To The Bells Appears Well Earned.
April 28, 2003... Frequent visitors to TPR's "Money Trail" will recall that last week's attentions were focused on Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), the powerful chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. This week, we turn to Tauzin's counterpart on the other...