Telecom Policy Report articles from June 2004

Telecom Policy Report archives from June 2004

No Deal On UNEs Despite White House Pressure.
June 2, 2004... Powell Unable To Influence Outcome Of BOC-AT&T Negotiations They came. They saw. No one conquered. With apologies to Plutarch and Julius Caesar, that largely sums up the events of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend in which top...

Is Policy Driving Politics -- Or Is It The Other Way Around?
June 2, 2004... For the Bush White House, the controversy surrounding the issue of government-mandated pricing for access to so-called unbundled network elements (UNEs) could easily mushroom into yet another embarrassment for the President. This is...

Qwest Agreement Makes MCI Attractive Acquisition Target.
June 2, 2004... But Will One Of The Bell Companies Bite The Apple? The relatively quick deal MCI struck with Qwest Communications in order to gain access to Qwest's local telephone networks may be something MCI President and CEO Michael Capellas wanted to...

CPUC Approves Consumer Protections For Cell Phone Users.
June 2, 2004... California's Measure Could Become Model For Other States To Follow The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) late last week became the first state regulatory agency in the nation to approve consumer protections for cell phone...

VON Coalition Urges FCC To Keep 'Hands Off' VoIP.
June 2, 2004... Group Faces Tough Opposition From NARUC, ILECs A coalition of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers is continuing to press the FCC to advance regulatory policies that the group contends will "enable Americans to enjoy the...

Texas Firm Nailed For Fraud; Other Probes Pending.
June 2, 2004... Justice Department, FBI, FCC Inspector General Fully Engaged The controversial E-Rate Program, a $2.25 billion a year subsidy program intended to help fund high-speed Internet access and broadband connections for the nation's schools and...

Significant Dollars For Pryce Come From BOCs, Cable TV.
June 2, 2004... Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) is another rising star within the Republicanheld U.S. House of Representatives who, despite having authored no legislation directly affecting the telecom industry or its related parts, manages to rack up some fairly...

FCC Continues Hesitance In Resolving Spectrum Swap.
June 9, 2004... Powell Ponders Ways To Assuage All Concerns And Avoid Litigation Last March when Telecom Policy Report addressed the issue of the Nextel spectrum swap, we said the FCC was leaning heavily in favor of the so-called "Consensus Plan" supported...

Influential Consumer Groups Rail Against Verizon's $5 Billion Bid.
June 9, 2004... Two of the nation's most influential consumer advocacy organizations are urging the FCC to view with skepticism Verizon's professed willingness to bid $5 billion for the 1.9 GHz spectrum at issue in the 800 MHz spectrum realignment proceeding....

NextWave Seeks Court's OK To Auction Six Licenses.
June 9, 2004... Bankrupt wireless carrier NextWave, the controversial company that managed to retain control of extremely valuable spectrum licenses without actually paying for them, is pressing the bankruptcy court overseeing its reorganization for permission...

Telecom Industry Awaits Solicitor General's Decision.
June 9, 2004... Olson's Move Will Be Seen As Signal Of White House's Position The U.S. telecom industry at press time (Tuesday, June 8) continued looking for a signal from Solicitor General Ted Olson as to whether he will seek certification of the D.C....

AT&T Blasts Verizon's Latest Claims In 8-Year-Old Dispute.
June 9, 2004... AT&T is harshly criticizing Verizon's latest arguments in an eight-year-old dispute over whether the telco and its sister Bells should be permitted to keep overcharges stemming from what AT&T claims are "unlawful" 1996 intercarrier compensation...

ICF Continues Holding Its Cards Close To The Vest.
June 9, 2004... The so-called Intercarrier Compensation Forum (ICF), as of press time (Tuesday, June 8), still has not filed what is said to be a sweeping proposal to reform the Commission's vastly complex intercarrier compensation regime, especially as it...

No Telecom Play For DeLay, But Telecom PACs Pay Anyway.
June 9, 2004... House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) hasn't been a major player in the telecom policymaking arena for nearly a decade. In fact, the last time he seriously weighed in on telecom-related issues occurred just before passage of the 1996...

Correction.
June 9, 2004... Telecom Policy Report last week erroneously reported that NEC Unified Solutions pleaded guilty to fraud charges in connection with one of its unit's participation in the federal E-Rate Program. Actually, it was NEC Business Network Solutions...

Federal Battle Over UNE Provisions Nears End.
June 16, 2004... Fight Now Becomes One For State Regulators Like Yogi Berra said, it ain't over till it's over. U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson's refusal to join the FCC in its motion to the Supreme Court seeking a further stay of the D.C. Circuit's...

Chairman Powell Begins Six-Month Quest To Preserve Telecom Competition.
June 16, 2004... FCC Chairman Michael Powell is facing his toughest battle yet. He has to figure out a way to preserve competition in the local exchange marketplace without being perceived by key industry players as overstepping his regulatory authority....

No Partisan Boundaries Separate Telecom Policy Positions.
June 16, 2004... If anyone thinks telecom policy is a partisan issue, think again. One doesn't have to look very hard to find Republicans and Democrats sharing the same position on important telecom issues. The events of the past week have served to underscore...

Forecasting The 'Perfect Storm' In Telecom Policymaking.
June 16, 2004... By Dr. David Roddy, PhD Dr. David Roddy, PhD, a noted economist and telecommunications expert, is managing director in the telecom practice at FTI Consulting. The views expressed below are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect...

Rep. Sensenbrenner Expected To Defend 1996 Telecom Act.
June 16, 2004... When the next Congress convenes in 2005, look for two things to happen. First, the lawmakers will re-open the 1996 Telecommunications Act in an effort to revamp many of its pro-competition provisions. Second, a small but passionate...

VoIP At Supercomm: It's The 'Next Big Thing'.
June 30, 2004... But Will State And Federal Regulators Let It Happen? CHICAGO - This year's Supercomm event has virtually removed all doubt as to what the "next big thing" in telecom is. In fact, as discussion topics go, the single most popular issue at...

FCC Will Clarify FTTP Rules -- But Not In Public.
June 30, 2004... The FCC has decided to exclude from its public meeting agenda a clarification the agency plans to issue in connection with its controversial Triennial Review Order (TRO). The clarification, sources tell TPR, deals with that portion of the TRO...

Commission Settles Indecency Charges -- But At What Cost?
June 30, 2004... FCC's Tougher Enforcement Could Extend To Telecom Service Providers The FCC may have succeeded in pressuring Clear Channel Communications Inc. to sign a $1.75 million consent decree -- thus ending several investigations into whether Clear...

AT&T, Z-Tel Announce Plans To Abandon Competitive Markets.
June 30, 2004... Decision Portends Potential Political Problems For President Bush The decisions last week by two major competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) -- AT&T and Z-Tel Communications -- to cease marketing competitive telecom services in some...

Spectrum Policy Watch: FCC Schedules PCS License Auction; NextWave Licenses Included.
June 30, 2004... The FCC on Jan. 12, 2005, will auction off some 234 broadband Personal Communications Services (PCS) licenses, including some licenses previously held by NextWave Telecom Inc., the bankrupt wireless carrier that managed to hang onto billions of...

Sachs Won't Renew Contract; NCTA Begins Long Search.
June 30, 2004... Robert Sachs, who for the past five and a half years has served as president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), has told the NCTA board of directors he has no interest in renewing his current contract with...

Former Qwest Executive's Not Guilty Plea Won't Solve Accounting Woes.
June 30, 2004... Former Qwest Communications executive Thomas Hall's June 21 "not guilty" plea to new fraud charges accusing him of involvement in a scheme to improperly record on the company's books nearly $34 million in revenue will not soon end the...