Telecom Policy Report articles from June 2003

Telecom Policy Report archives from June 2003

BOCs Dangle Carrot, Tell Suppliers To Send Proposals.
June 4, 2003... Some Skeptics Question Whether Bells Really Mean It This Time Remember all of that complaining the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) did back in February when the FCC first announced the results of its review of policies governing unbundled...

FCC Eyeing 'Equal Access' Mandate For Wireless.
June 4, 2003... Measure Would Dramatically Affect Most Billing Plans In hopes of making wireless services more "consumer friendly," the Federal Communications Commission is seriously considering changing its rules governing Universal Service so as to...

Top Economists Weigh In On Illinois Rate Case.
June 4, 2003... Two prominent economists have told a federal court in Chicago that legislation recently enacted in Illinois - and strongly backed by SBC Communications - is neither justified nor compliant with existing federal law and should be overturned. ...

Boucher's Strong Support Of IT, Telecom Issues Pays Off.
June 4, 2003... During the 1999 presidential campaign when former Vice President Al Gore in a televised interview mistakenly referred to himself as the inventor of the Internet, Congressman Rick Boucher (R-Va.) should have immediately filed a paternity suit....

Bush's Spectrum Initiative Spurs Pentagon Fears.
June 11, 2003... War-fighters Hesitant To Relinquish 'Precious Resource' A Bush White House initiative aimed at making sweeping reforms in U.S. spectrum policy is creating serious angst among some officials within the Defense Department. Late last week,...

Here's What The President Wants.
June 11, 2003... To further promote development and implementation of a U.S. spectrum policy for the 21st century, the President directed the following: * Establishment of a "Spectrum Policy Initiative" that will consist of activities to develop...

New Telecom Regulator Emerges In Great Britain.
June 11, 2003... Britain, arguably the most liberalized telecom market in Europe, is about to make some major changes in the way it treats telecommunications competition, and the changes are intended to attract more new investors to the UK, according to a...

Wireless Industry Loses Court Battle Over LNP Rules.
June 11, 2003... As predicted more than a month ago by TPR, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., last week ruled against a wireless industry petition seeking to overturn rules imposed by the FCC requiring wireless carriers to implement local number...

SBC Illinois Forced To Lower Wholesale Rates - Slightly.
June 11, 2003... After state regulators late last week spotted an irregularity in a wholesale pricing tariff submitted by SBC Illinois, the Bell Operating Company (BOC) was compelled to slightly lower the prices it intends to charge competitors for access to...

Wisconsin Seen As Likely Next Target For SBC Lobbying Effort.
June 11, 2003... Clearly satisfied with its legislative success with the Illinois General Assembly, SBC Communications appears gearing up to embark on a similar campaign in Wisconsin. A perusal of records filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Board - the state-level...

Fortune Smiles On Orange County's Chris Cox.
June 11, 2003... Armed with a law degree and an MBA from Harvard, Rep. Chris Cox (R-Calif.) may well be one of the most intellectual people on Capitol Hill. And though he hails from conservative Republican stronghold Orange County, Calif., he clearly knows how...

Group Boosts Pressure For 'Special Access' Reform.
June 18, 2003... Study Claims Lowering Costs Would Enhance U.S. Economy A group of telecom service providers and business end-users concerned about the rising costs of so-called "special access" made clear late last week that it intends to increase pressure...

E911 Legislation Increases Pressure On States.
June 18, 2003... Bill Would Halt Diversion On Technology Deployment Funding State that have been redirecting for other uses funds earmarked for the deployment of E911 location-finding technology could soon find themselves in serious trouble with federal...

Ruling Wounds SBC Illinois - But Is It Fatal?
June 18, 2003... SBC Communications' bid to get Illinois lawmakers to pass a law allowing the telco to raise wholesale prices it charges competitors for access to its local network may not be finished, despite a June 9 federal court decision derailing the...

Eshoo Assumes Advocate Role For Silicon Valley.
June 18, 2003... It's probably a fair thing to say that everyone elected to serve in the U.S. Congress is unique. And assuming that's true - and TPR believes it is - then Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) is especially unique. For one thing, she is the only member of...

Watchdog Group Takes FCC, Powell To Task.
June 23, 2003... Charges Involvement In Telecom Development Fund Is Conflict Of Interest A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity (CPI) raises serious questions about the FCC's participation in and oversight of the...

McCain Moves To Ban Industry-Funded Trips For FCC.
June 23, 2003... Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Science & Transportation Committee, wants FCC officials to stop going on trips paid for by the very entities the agency regulates. The Federal Communications Commission Reauthorization...

Senate Republican Hi-Tech Task Force Sets Policy Agenda.
June 23, 2003... The Senate Republican High Tech Task Force (HTTF) has embarked on an ambitious plan to craft legislative proposals designed to advance the nation's high-tech industry - including its telecom component - and refuel interest and investment in the...

TPR's Top Telecom Lobbyists Selections For June.
June 23, 2003... Readers of this regular monthly feature may have already noticed a trend beginning to develop in TPR's "Top Telecom Lobbyists of the Month." It's not necessarily what you know that gets you ahead in Washington. It's more a case of who you know...

CTIA Seen Unlikely To Win On LNP Avoidance.
June 23, 2003... The wireless industry's hopes of avoiding the Nov. 24 deadline for implementing wireless local number portability (LNP) are fast fading, according to numerous sources at the FCC and elsewhere. The industry's principal lobbying organization, the...

Third Time Expected To Be The Charm For SBC Michigan.
June 23, 2003... Barring an unforeseen disaster of near biblical proportions, SBC Communication's third attempt to enter the interstate long distance market in Michigan should sail past federal regulators, according to long-time FCC observers. SBC last...

And Finally ... From The Rumor Mill.
June 23, 2003... It could happen. The FCC could finally unveil its long-overdue Triennial Review order this week. But we're not going to hold our breath waiting for that to occur. Our sources tell us the commissioners are now in the process of putting the...