Telecom Policy Report articles from April 2005

Telecom Policy Report archives from April 2005

Pending Colorado Bill Frustrates Municipal Broadband.
April 6, 2005... When Is A Ban 'Technically' Not A Ban? A potentially explosive bill has been quietly wending its way through the Colorado General Assembly that, if passed, would make it difficult or near impossible for municipalities to provide wireless...

Verizon Plays PR Game With MCI, Qwest.
April 6, 2005... For the first time since the bidding contest accelerated due to Qwest Communications International's move to purchase MCI in February, Verizon Communications has begun playing what amounts to a public-relations one- upmanship game. Compared...

Try This On For Size: Use General Revenues To Fund The USF.
April 6, 2005... Financing the universal service fund (USF) from general tax revenues instead of relying solely on the telecommunications business is among the options lawmakers can consider as a means of continuing the nationwide telephone subsidy policy,...

'Don't Tread On Me,' Says USF Coalition.
April 6, 2005... While top-echelon regulators, legislators and advisors weigh Universal Service Fund (USF) program reform, the impact of grassroots public pressure on the USF's fate probably cannot be minimized. One such effort is called the Keep USF Safe...

Wireless E911 Location: Can You Find Me Now?
April 6, 2005... The extent to which wireless carriers prove their compliance with developing rules for handling emergency calls - particularly the accuracy of pinpointing locations of distressed callers - caused a big stir recently as the Network Reliability...

...In Canada, Regulators Require VoIP 911...Fast.
April 6, 2005... The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) surprised the industry on Monday by ordering voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers to provide the same levels of basic and enhanced 911 emergency services...

Flight Attendants Say Americans Want A Cellphone-Free Skyway.
April 6, 2005... You knew it had to happen: According to a poll set to be released in Washington, D.C., tomorrow by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Consumer League, Americans stand overwhelmingly against an airplane cabin full of...

Pro-Municipal Service Movement Gains Traction.
April 13, 2005... Industry, Public-Advocacy Groups Target State Prohibitions A groundswell movement is starting to gain momentum to counter proposed and current state legislation that bans or limits municipal government provisioning of broadband Internet...

APCO Honors Sen. McCain.
April 13, 2005... Last night at its inaugural "Public Safety Communications Leadership in Policy Awards" dinner in Washington, D.C., the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) awarded Sen. John McCain its "Leadership in...

Philly Airs Wi-Fi Plan, Hears Immediate Static.
April 13, 2005... No sooner had the City of Brotherly Love unveiled ambitious plans for city-sponsored Wi-Fi access to the Internet than it was criticized for creating a government-owned broadband network that isn't needed, and is economically and...

Senate Weighs Further Accounting Reprieve For E-Rate.
April 13, 2005... A U.S. Senate committee on Monday heard testimony on whether the Universal Service Fund's so-called E-rate program for subsidizing Internet access by U.S. schools and libraries should be spared from stringent government- accounting...

Verizon To Qwest: MCI Is Gone With The Wind.
April 13, 2005... Speculation that Qwest Communications International could launch a hostile takeover attempt for interexchange carrier MCI are all but gone as favored acquirer Verizon Communications revealed an agreement worth nearly $11.2 billion to buy...

European Regulators Clear Mobile TV Landscape.
April 13, 2005... The first true mobile TV networks are likely to be up and running in 2006, at least that's what Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's executive vice president and general manager of multimedia, thinks. "A year on from today, another 50 million people...

AOL Raises E911 Banner With U.S. VoIP Introduction.
April 13, 2005... Now that Time Warner's America Online (AOL) is a near-telco with its recent launch of a voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) service into the U.S. market, the company scored additional brownie points by quickly aligning itself with the...

VNSL-Tyco License Transfer Rests With The Commish.
April 20, 2005... Is Competition The Real Public-Interest Deal Breaker? A confidential U.S. panel last week gave India's incumbent national telecom provider Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) the green light to acquire Tyco International's undersea global...

Senate Hearing Airs 'Another View' Of Telecom Mergers.
April 20, 2005... The Senate Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights was scheduled yesterday (April 19) to conduct additional hearings on the SBC/ATT and Verizon/MCI merger proposals. Having already heard...

Industry Coalition Reform Stance Draws Rural Fire.
April 20, 2005... A move by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week to draw out press coverage of its economic and employment priorities favoring legislative telecom reform also drew fire from a number of groups representing small and rural telephone companies...

Why BPL's RF Rules Still Cause Sparks.
April 20, 2005... A quiet squabble over alleged radio frequency (RF) interference by proposed broadband-over-power line (BPL) communications systems continues to pit the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for amateur radio operators,...

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April 20, 2005... Just visit TelecomWeb's Managed Services Report at www.telecomweb.com, fill out the form and download Hosted Enterprise VoIP Services: A New Model for Today's Market. It's THAT EASY! Specifically written for service providers, this...

Vonage And VoIP 911: In Thick Of Things Yet Again.
April 20, 2005... Vonage Holdings got into some hot water recently when it briefly recapped to the FCC that the nation's Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) that handle emergency contacts could accept voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) emergency calls...

APCO Addresses Other E911 Concerns.
April 20, 2005... APCO's newest issue paper, Accessing 911 From A Multi-Line Telephone System and Private Branch Exchange, outlines the current problems it sees with MLTS and PBX, which include a lack of consumer awareness that these systems can delay...

Megamerger Transactions Head For Rough Seas.
April 27, 2005... Smoother SBC-AT&T Sailing Vs. Verizon-Qwest-MCI Tempest? As SBC Communications and AT&T navigate a merger proposal through the sometimes choppy waters of public comment, regulatory approval and legislator scrutiny, their voyage,...

...And Advocates Raise Cain On Telecom Combinations.
April 27, 2005... A number of consumer-advocacy groups last week disclosed they are preparing to better organize their opposition to the proposed acquisitions of AT&T by SBC Communications as well as MCI by Verizon Communications (or in the event of a...

State Bodies Predict More Merger Angst.
April 27, 2005... NASUCA President John R. Perkins, says he expects many of the group's 44 consumer advocate members - representing 42 states and the District of Columbia - to comment against the proposed mergers at state-level regulatory bodies, and they...

Qwest Protests SBC-AT&T Combo.
April 27, 2005... Qwest is filing comments at the FCC to oppose approval of the pending merger of SBC Communications and interexchange carrier AT&T, following a similar April 14 filing at California's Public Utilities Commission. Qwest is urging the FCC to...

Adelphia's Cable TV Buyers Also Seek Telecom Angle.
April 27, 2005... Up front, and as much as most of the stock market cares, the joint bid by Comcast and Time Warner to buy Adelphia Communications out of bankruptcy is purely a cable television/media play. Yet, scratch below the surface and an interesting...

Another Subcommittee IP Hearing.
April 27, 2005... The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet has scheduled a hearing for today (April 27) to air testimony from government officials on how "How Internet Protocol-Enabled Services Are Changing The Face Of...

Change That Date!
April 27, 2005... The FCC has rescheduled is next open meeting from tomorrow (April 28) to Friday, April 29, at about 9:30 a.m. at its Washington, D.C., headquarters. The meeting agenda appears to remain the same, including a Report and Order concerning the...

TPR Update: Pending Telecom-Related Bills On The Hill.
April 27, 2005... Number: H.R. 102 Title: Children's Access to Technology Act Introduced: Jan. 5, 2005 by Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) Talking Points: Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to allow unspent universal service funds to be used by schools in...