Telecom Policy Report articles from December 2004

Telecom Policy Report archives from December 2004

Will McCain Boxing Bill KO Relocation Funds?
December 8, 2004... White House, Wireless Industry Push For Lame-Duck Passage Professional boxing and electromagnetic spectrum seemingly have nothing in common, but in the convoluted world of Washington, D.C., politics, they're inextricably linked. That's...

What Chairman Powell Says About Pending Congressional Votes.
December 8, 2004... Earlier this week, FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell was asked about the telecom-related bills still on the table as Congress prepares to adjourn. Here's what he said: "I understand that Congress is close to moving on a package of...

Grassroots Group Plans FCC E-Mail Protest Friday; Targets BellSouth Filing.
December 8, 2004... This Friday, the Washington Bureau for ISP Advocacy (WBIA) will launch a virtual Gigabyte March on the Federal Communications Commission to protest recent actions by regional holding companies they say will stifle growth of broadband service...

Supremes Take On Cable Modem Review; Munis Left Out.
December 8, 2004... While Telecom Policy Report normally doesn't spend much space on cable-TV issues, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last Friday to review a case that could decide how broadband cable Internet service will be regulated merits some ink. ...

Who And What Will Influence Front-Burner 2005 Policy Issues?
December 8, 2004... By Hugh Carter Donahue, Ph.D The many front-burner 2005 policy issues - including voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), intercarrier compensation, universal service, line sharing, broadband over powerlines - will be evaluated and determined...

Research: 12 Percent Of U.S. Companies Switch To VoIP.
December 8, 2004... Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was adopted by more U.S. businesses during the past year, with the percentage of companies using the technology growing from 3 percent in 2003 to 12 percent in 2004, according to research house In-Stat/MDR....

Unbundling Order On FCC Meeting Agenda, But Questions Remain.
December 8, 2004... Washington, D.C., is beginning to quiet down, now that 108th Congress is about to adjourn and the holiday season has started. However, regulatory minds continue to mull the FCC's Triennial Review Order remand and the possible directions the FCC...

Let The Studies Begin.
December 8, 2004... With this week's passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terror Prevention Act of 2004, studies now must commence to assess the need for, attributes of and spectral requirements of a nationwide, broadband, interoperable mobile network. The...

Breaking News: Congress Cleans Pending Legislation Plate.
December 8, 2004... At press time, the "National Intelligence Reorganization Act (S.2845)," the "ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act of 2004 (HR 5419)" and the "Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act " were passed by the both houses of Congress. They now will head to the White House...

Unbundled Or Unplugged? The UNE Order.
December 15, 2004... Commissioners Split The Vote On Facilities-Based Competition According to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, no one will be completely happy with today's adoption of new rules concerning incumbent local exchange...

Sprint Nextel: Can You Hear Us Now?
December 15, 2004... Despite some rumored saber rattling by ILEC Verizon, which has been pulling every marketing trick it can think of out of its hat to regain wireless market share post-Cingular/AT&T Wireless, the next big thing on the competitive horizon will be...

Reining In Municipal Wireless, Broadband: The Pennsylvania Story.
December 15, 2004... By Hugh Carter Donahue, Ph.D. When it comes to innovation and competition in wireless Internet and broadband telecommunications, Pennsylvanians seem fated to a state of dependence. Following a Supreme Court ruling reining in municipal...

The Other Side Of The Story.
December 15, 2004... By Steve Effros The front-page stories blared again last week about the decision of the Pennsylvania state legislature to pass a law, pushed by Verizon, that limits the ability of localities to build competitive data networks. There was...

USF Compensation: There Are Rural Carriers And Rural Carriers.
December 15, 2004... Universal service support continues to be one of hot buttons rural telcos are trying to cool, but the process entails putting more heat on regulators. According to the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications...

Cellphones Finally On Planes? Be Careful What You Wish For.
December 15, 2004... While most of the audience at today's open FCC meeting, the last for 2004, were there for the unbundling item, commissioners also addressed an idea whose time has come: the lifting of the prohibition on any transmitting devices on commercial...

Looking Back: The Telecom Year In Review.
December 22, 2004... The Whos, Wheres, Whens, Whats And Whys That Shaped 2004 There was something for everyone in 2004 when it came to regulatory and legislative issues: mergers, acquisitions, resolution of court cases, incumbents versus competitive carriers,...