Telecom Policy Report articles from May 2003

Telecom Policy Report archives from May 2003

Groups Press FCC To Change 'Special Access' Rules.
May 5, 2003... Coalition Calls For Regulatory Intervention, Reform The Federal Communications Commission is coming under intense pressure from telecom service providers and business customers to make sweeping changes in its interexchange access regime....

FCC's Intercarrier Compensation Docket Draws More Fire.
May 5, 2003... After spending nearly two years trying to devise a unified intercarrier compensation scheme, the Federal Communications Commission is now wrestling with the issue of how to deal with interexchange (i.e., long distance) traffic carried by...

'Secret Deals' Scandal Overshadows Qwest's Bid For Minnesota.
May 5, 2003... Qwest Communications, already beleaguered by lingering financial problems and highly questionable accounting practices associated with its not-so-distant past, now is engaged in what may well become one of its toughest challenges - the quest...

TPR's TOP 10 Picks For April In The Telecom Lobbying Arena.
May 5, 2003... For this week's edition of TPR, our editors ventured into the legislative wilderness where telecom lobbyists dwell to select from among them the best and the brightest, based on our own research. Much to our surprise, some of our picks were...

House Bill Would Undermine Standards-Setting, Expert Says.
May 5, 2003... A bill now working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives - legislation aimed at improving standards-setting procedures used by manufacturers of everything from computers to telecommunications equipment - if passed into law as now...

Sen. Burns' Third Term Is Montana's Most Costly.
May 5, 2003... Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Commerce's communications subcommittee, is known to be a strong advocate for rural-based telecom services, particularly high-speed Internet access for hard-to-reach areas. And why not? He...

SBC Fights The 'Telecom Wars' In The Midwest.
May 12, 2003... The Illinois General Assembly on Sunday approved a controversial bill backed by SBC Communications that is expected to negate a decision by the state's utility regulator, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), and allow SBC to radically raise...

NECA Seeks Hike In TRS Fund Requirements.
May 12, 2003... If a proposal submitted last week to the FCC by the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) becomes federal policy, carriers will see significant changes in provider reimbursement rates, funding requirements, and carrier contribution...

FCC Wants To Attract Rural Telco Co-Ops To Spectrum Auctions.
May 12, 2003... The FCC has adopted a measure aimed at increasing the number of rural telephone cooperatives that are eligible for small business preferences in the commission's spectrum auctions. The new policy is expected to increase the ability of rural...

Jeb Bush Weighs Fate Of Contentious Competition Bill.
May 12, 2003... Apologies to Hall of Fame baseball legend Yogi Berra, but what's happening now in Florida seems a lot like "dja vu all over again." A year ago, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who was up for re-election at the time, nixed a bill that would have...

Cable Readies For Harsh Congressional Criticism.
May 12, 2003... The cable television industry is bracing for an onslaught of congressional criticism, spurred largely by a relentless battering ram of consumer complaints about rising cable rates. The industry's concern is particularly heightened at this time,...

Focusing On The Fortunes Of Fritz.
May 12, 2003... Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.) turned 81 years old this year, and rumor has it he may not seek re-election. But that's just a rumor. Hollings hasn't indicated one way or the other what he will do in 2004. Neverthless, there's a whole...

CTIA Preparing To Enlist Congress In LNP Battle.
May 21, 2003... Group Believes Its Court Case Is Likely Lost The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), apparently convinced it is about to lose a federal court battle aimed at stopping the FCC from enforcing the agency's wireless local...

Tom Wheeler's Gambit.
May 21, 2003... As a last-ditch effort to salvage its case in the D.C. federal appeals court, the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association last week once again filed a petition with the FCC laying out its concerns about the commission's looming...

California Rate Study Could Affect Decisions In Other States.
May 21, 2003... A new study from a prominent University of California economist is adding fuel to the fires of controversy over a proposal being eyed by California's regulators that would allow incumbent telco SBC Communications to dramatically raise the...

OECD Urges Continuation Of Pro-Competition Measures.
May 21, 2003... U.S. policymakers are quietly being encouraged to closely scrutinize the findings in a soon-to-be-released report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that urges governments to keep intact their market opening...

Analysts: Allegiance's Failure Illustrates Flawed Policy.
May 21, 2003... The last pure play competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) with a nationwide facilities-based business model and focus on the increasingly important small and medium sized business market has declared that despite a seven-month process of...

McCain's Campaign Finance Reform Efforts Haven't Hurt Him.
May 21, 2003... The mainstream media have characterized Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as an American hero, a rogue Republican, a populist, an advocate for smaller government, and a fiercely independent conservative. He's been tagged with lots of other labels,...

SBC's Illinois Victory Emboldens The Baby Bells.
May 28, 2003... Verizon, BellSouth, Qwest To Employ Similar Strategy Buoyed by the recent stunning success of SBC Communications in getting Illinois lawmakers to pass legislation that, in essence, allows the company to more than double its wholesale rates,...

Delay Of UNE Order Has All Players On Edge.
May 28, 2003... FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin late last week told reporters that it will be "a couple more weeks" before the agency issues its landmark Triennial Review order, but sources within the agency say at least two draft versions of the document are...

TPR's Top Telecom Lobbyists Selections For May.
May 28, 2003... This month, TPR's top picks from the telecom lobbying arena include a number of "heavy hitters" from the telecom companies themselves. Readers who have followed our monthly "Scorecard" selections know we don't often go directly to telecom...

NCTA Tells Media Bureau Don't Blame Cable For DTV Delay.
May 28, 2003... The National Cable &Telecommunications Association (NCTA) last week took strong exception to suggestions offered by other entities commenting in the FCC's Digital Television (DTV) Periodic Review implying that cable operators were largely to...

Reps. Tauzin, Sensenbrenner Double Team Spammers.
May 28, 2003... House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) last week joined with House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), vice chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and lead...

No Leadership Post, Pickering Ranks High In Donations.
May 28, 2003... Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R-Miss.), now in his fourth term in Congress, chairs no committees, no subcommittees, and isn't part of the House leadership. What's more, Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, which Pickering represents,...