Telecom Policy Report articles from April 2004

Telecom Policy Report archives from April 2004

Ninth Circuit's Cable Modem Decision Roils FCC.
April 7, 2004... But Will The Agency Actually Enforce The Court's Ruling? The cable industry was rocked late last week when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced that it would not review a decision by three of its judges that earlier ruled cable...

Lawmakers Surface Parallel VoIP Bills In House, Senate.
April 7, 2004... Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) and Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) late last week introduced bills in the House and Senate that they claim protect Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology from regulation. The parallel bills, both dubbed "The...

The VoIP Freedom From Regulation Act of 2004: A Section-By-Section Analysis.
April 7, 2004... Sec. 1: Short Title The VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004" Sec.2: Assertion of Federal Jurisdiction a. Only federal government may regulate. No state or locale may regulate. b. Federal government cannot delegate authority to...

Phoenix Center Report Derides 'Intermodal Competition'.
April 7, 2004... The non-profit Washington, D.C.-based Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Policy Studies has just released a report containing findings that fly directly in the face of assertions by FCC Chairman Michael Powell regarding socalled...

The View From The FCC: 'A Lighter Regulatory Hand'.
April 7, 2004... The most recent analysis of the Commercial Mobile Radio Services market "demonstrates how a lighter regulatory hand has ushered in innovation and technological advancement, and the power of facilities-based competition into the marketplace,"...

TPR's Top Telecom Lobbyist Picks For March.
April 7, 2004... It has been a year since Telecom Policy Report began its monthly listing of the telecom industry's top lobbyists. These past months, our editors have selected more than 90 industry advocates for recognition. And whether we agree or disagree...

Z-Tel 'Twenty Dollar' Plan Gaining ILEC, CLEC Favor.
April 14, 2004... At Least Two Bell Companies Seriously Mulling Proposal An April 2 proposal presented by Z-Tel Technologies that would establish a nationwide flat rate for competitive access to local networks owned by the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) is...

FCC Should Move With Care On Law Enforcement Petition.
April 14, 2004... Telecommunications Industry Association Takes Issue With FBI, DOJ, DEA The influential Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) on Monday (April 12) urged the FCC to move cautiously in creating rules aimed at helping law enforcement...

USTR Pegs Global Barriers Facing U.S. Telecom Industry.
April 14, 2004... Section 1377 Review Harshly Critical Of Asian, European Nations The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) late last week unveiled the results of its 2004 annual review of foreign compliance with telecommunications trade...

Health Care IT Service Providers Face HIPAA Mandate.
April 14, 2004... Information technology (IT) professionals in the health care industry starting this week (April 14) will be required by federal law to have legally binding agreements in place aimed at further ensuring privacy protection for health information...

BOCs, VON Coalition Embroiled In Dueling Letters To Lawmakers.
April 14, 2004... Executives from three of the four Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) have fired off strongly worded letters to key members of Congress, including the chairmen of the House and Senate Commerce committees, in response to a prior letter sent to the...

Rep. 'Chip' Pickering Champions VoIP Technology In The House.
April 14, 2004... Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering isn't exactly a stranger to TPR's "Money Trail" -- we first profiled him back on May 28, 2003. As we pointed out then, Pickering has been on the Hill for quite some time. Before being elected to Congress in 1996,...

FCC To Rule Against AT&T In VoIP Proceeding.
April 21, 2004... Decision Likely To Spark Litigation, Industry-Wide Controversy The FCC, in what will be a 3-2 vote, is expected to rule that AT&T's version of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is indeed subject to interstate access charges, a decision...

Forecasting The FCC's Decision On AT&T's VoIP Petition.
April 21, 2004... FCC Chairman Michael Powell will be joined by Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy and Jonathan Adelstein in the majority opinion against AT&T. Commissioners Kevin Martin and Michael Copps will cast dissenting votes. The decision, which has...

NASUCA Urges FCC To Probe Wireless Carriers' Hidden Fees.
April 21, 2004... Should wireless carriers be forced to reveal to consumers the total monthly cost of service before potential subscribers sign on the dotted line? And should the total include the so-called "hidden costs," i.e., fees associated with wireless...

Qwest, Notebaert Take The Lead In Breaking The Logjam.
April 21, 2004... Last week's groundbreaking decision by Qwest Communications to enter into a line-sharing pact with one of its competitors and agree to engage in "transparent" negotiations with another competitor for access to Qwest's local networks likely will...

NTCA Criticizes Key Provisions In Sununu VoIP Legislation.
April 21, 2004... In an April 13 letter to Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) highlighted its major concerns with the Sununu's bill, "The VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004." Specifically, the association...

All Is Not Well In UTOPIA; Salt Lake City Backs Out.
April 21, 2004... A broadband initiative undertaken by a consortium of Utah municipalities took a serious hit late last week when the Salt Lake City Council voted to opt out of the project. The Council voted 4-2 against publicly funding the plan, which is known...

Plan Now To-Attend SUPERCOMM 2004.
April 21, 2004... SUPERCOMM 2004 is the world's most comprehensive annual communications technology exhibition and conference. The Chicago-based event encompasses Broadband, Enterprise Networks, Converged Wireless and the Public Network Infrastructure. Worldwide...

New Telecom Policy Reform Effort Gets Underway.
April 28, 2004... Senate Commerce Committee Opens Door For Rewrite Of '96 Act It has begun. Again. The push to rewrite U.S. telecommunications law is officially underway. Again. The effort got rolling this week when the Senate Commerce Committee,...

Cooper, Kimmelman Remind Lawmakers Of Warnings Made In Immediate Wake Of Telecom Act's Passage.
April 28, 2004... Two of Washington, D.C.'s most active and vocal consumer advocates are pointedly reminding federal lawmakers of the warnings the two men offered eight years ago when Congress passed the 1996 Telecom Act. Dr. Mark Cooper, research director...

Small Carrier Coalition Presses For Preservation Of UNE-P.
April 28, 2004... A coalition of 30 competitive local exchange carriers that provide basic local telephone service to residential and small business customers is urging members of the Senate Commerce Committee to move cautiously in reviewing "Lessons Learned...

Policy Wonk Speaks Out About Need For 'Real' Telecom Reform.
April 28, 2004... 'The Telecom Act Was Never About The Deregulation Of Incumbents' The various entities involved in the ongoing multi-billion dollar telecom debate have been fighting with each other for so long that it seems like everybody in Washington has...

SBC Alleged To Be Violating Act's Interconnection Provisions.
April 28, 2004... Despite strong urging from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), SBC Communications continues to protect the secrecy of the interconnection agreement it struck nearly three weeks ago with a competitor, Sage Telecom, for access to...