Telecom Policy Report articles from August 2004

Telecom Policy Report archives from August 2004

Don't Blame Telecom Act; Blame Its Enforcement.
August 4, 2004... The 'Father Of The Internet' Speaks Out On Regulatory Changes The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is not a failure because it was poorly written, says internationally renowned Internet architect Vinton Cerf. It is a failure because is has...

Virginia Secretary of Technology: State Still Welcomes Competition.
August 4, 2004... Despite the withdrawal of AT&T from the residential marketplace, coupled with the apparent unwillingness of other major players to continue aggressively pursuing the consumer telecom market, Virginia Secretary of Technology George Newstrom...

Concerns Raised About Global VoIP Regulation.
August 4, 2004... Industry Experts, Analysts Fear Worldwide Disparate Policies Jeff Pulver, president and CEO of Pulver.com and an internationally renowned pioneer of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), fears for the future of the nascent technology. ...

FCC's Abelson Urges Business Leaders To 'Think Globally'.
August 4, 2004... If there's anyone left who may still have doubts about Internet Protocol (IP)-based services such as Voice over IP (VoIP) being the proverbial "next big thing," a short visit with FCC International Bureau Chief Don Abelson could prove most...

Dorgan's Defense Of Small Telcos Guts Sununu's VoIP Bill.
August 4, 2004... Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is a staunch proponent of competition in the telecom industry, but he also is a staunch proponent of states' rights and universal service preservation. That is precisely why two weeks ago Dorgan pretty much...

FCC Deadlocked Over Interim UNE Order.
August 11, 2004... Commissioners Trying To Resolve Line-Sharing Dispute FCC staff, at the behest of Commission Chairman Michael Powell, is struggling to tweak an interim order that will for six-months bar incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) from raising...

Who Heads The FCC If Kerry Wins?
August 11, 2004... Telecom policy wonks in Washington are already beginning to speculate about who will be Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry's choice to head the FCC if, in fact, he manages to beat George Bush in the upcoming November balloting. ...

AT&T Wireless Could Lose Its Famous Initials.
August 11, 2004... Threatened Measure May Derail Pending Cingular Merger AT&T Wireless is in danger of losing the right to bear those famous initials. And if that happens, the wireless carrier's pending merger with Cingular Wireless could be in danger of...

FCC's 'Spectrum Swap' Order Sets Stage For Legal Battle.
August 11, 2004... Setting the stage for what could turn out to be a long, contentious legal battle beginning this fall, the FCC has finally issued its 256-page controversial order approving a modified Nextel spectrum swap aimed solving interference problems for...

FCC Orders LECs To Return Access Overpayments.
August 11, 2004... It only took 11 years and some nudging from a federal court, but the FCC has finally ruled that AT&T and other interexchange carriers (IXCs) that overpaid local exchange carriers (LECs) fees associated with initiating and/or terminating traffic...

SBC Arkansas Presses State Regulators For UNE Rate Hike.
August 11, 2004... SBC Arkansas is urging regulators in that state to allow it to increase the wholesale rates the telco can charged its rivals for access to unbundled elements of its local network, or UNEs, according to documents the telco filed with the...

Specter A Moderate Force On Senate Judiciary Panel.
August 11, 2004... Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, just emerged from one of the toughest fights of his political career. His opponents -- some of them from his own party -- apparently view him as vulnerable in this...

Intercarrier Compensation Reform Plan Emerges.
August 18, 2004... If Adopted, Consumers Would Bear Brunt Of Proposed New Fees After more than a year of behind-closed-doors meetings and secret toplevel negotiations, the long-awaited industry consensus plan for reforming the intercarrier compensation regime...

ICF's Plan Faces Some Tough Opponents, Including Consumer Groups.
August 18, 2004... The Intercarrier Compensation Forum's (ICF) proposal to do away interexchange access charges and reciprocal compensation over the next few years will undoubtedly stimulate considerable debate within the industry. Even so, its ultimate adoption...

ICF's Plan Is The Only Cross-Sector Proposal In Play.
August 18, 2004... Over the course of its 13-month existence, at least 25 companies --including the other Bell Operating Companies (BOCs), Verizon, Qwest and BellSouth -- have participated as members of the Intercarrier Compensation Forum (ICF), and their...

Verizon To FCC: Dump All Rules Governing Broadband Competition.
August 18, 2004... Verizon, the largest of the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs), is leading the charge for the elimination of virtually all regulations having to do with broadband facilities and services. And the company is being supported in this effort by its...

SBC's Numbering Request Nudges Further FCC Action On VoIP.
August 18, 2004... The FCC's action on a petition recently filed by SBC IP Communication (SBCIP), a subsidiary of SBC Communications, seeking permission to obtain numbering resources directly from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) could...

Sen. Hillary Clinton: 'A Force To Be Reckoned With'.
August 18, 2004... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is not a name that anyone would readily associate with the telecom industry, much less with telecom policymaking. Yet, she clearly is a lawmaker who is viewed with high respect by a cross section of the...

FCC's Interim Order Prompts More Litigation.
August 25, 2004... Bells, USTA Dissatisfied With Six-Month Freeze On UNE Rates The FCC's release late Friday (Aug. 20) of interim rules governing local telephone competition has spurred two Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) and their trade group, the U.S....

Consumer Advocate Foresees Higher Prices For Residential Ratepayers And Businesses.
August 25, 2004... It goes almost without saying: About the only telecom industry group that is anywhere close to being pleased with the FCC's just-released interim rules for local telephone competition are the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) and their...

Powell's Policy Foibles Strengthen Bells' Market Power.
August 25, 2004... TPR Exclusive Analysis by Dr. Hugh Carter Donahue, Ph.D. Editor's Note: Dr. Hugh Carter Donahue is a telecom policy expert who advises high-tech firms on regulation and business development. He is a former associate director for the...

AT&T Wireless Saves Its Name -- At Least For Now.
August 25, 2004... AT&T Corp. and Cingular Wireless have apparently resolved some rather sticky issues relating to the use of the famous AT&T brand in connection with Cingular's pending acquisition of AT&T Wireless. The agreement the parties reached earlier this...

FCC Orders USAC To Clean Up Its Accounting Procedures.
August 25, 2004... E-Rate Fund Commitments 'Temporarily' Suspended The FCC wants the Universal Service Administrative Company, the Commission's non-profit governmental corporation that oversees the Universal Service Fund, to move to government accounting...

Rep. Tom Reynolds: A Quiet But Powerful Presence.
August 25, 2004... If you're a politician who happens to hold one of the senior leadership positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, chances are communications sector political action committees (PACs) are going to treat you very well --regardless of...