Telecom Policy Report articles from May 2004

Telecom Policy Report archives from May 2004

SBC's 'Secrecy' Provokes Heated Controversy.
May 5, 2004... It's Very Doubtful The BOC Can Hide Everything Forever What in the world is SBC Communications up to? The Bell Operating Company (BOC) is doing everything in its power to maintain a tight curtain of secrecy around a negotiated...

On The 8th Floor: SBC Blasts Martin For Seeking Details Of Talk America Deal.
May 5, 2004... At the same time SBC Communications is pressuring the FCC to step in and bar state regulators from compelling the Bell company to reveal details of its interconnection agreement with Sage Telecom, SBC also is trying to sidestep a confrontation...

Cable Industry's Top Women Execs Defend Tiered Model.
May 5, 2004... Top female executives from leading cable TV networks are urging members of Congress to reject proposals that would require cable and satellite providers to offer programming on an "a la carte" basis or dictate terms of private contracts between...

Telco Co-ops Worried About Pickering's VoIP Legislation.
May 5, 2004... The head of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) has fired off a letter to Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering (R-Miss) raising serious concerns the organization has with Pickering's proposed legislation, the "Voice over...

Why NTCA Doesn't Like Pickering's VoIP Bill.
May 5, 2004... The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association has concerns with the following aspects of Rep. Chip Pickering's (R-Miss.) VoIP legislation: Preemption: The bill calls for giving legislators the power to preempt state and federal...

Court To Hear Group's Case Seeking 'Special Access' Protection.
May 5, 2004... A coalition of businesses, industry associations and a business users group concerned about the highly charged issue of special access will finally get its day in court, thanks to a recent decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. ...

Sachs Sees Tougher Competition, Regulatory Challenges Ahead.
May 5, 2004... Robert Sachs, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), on Monday (May 3) warned NCTA's member companies to prepare for an onslaught of new challenges in the coming months --including challenges from a...

Congress Poised To Take On 'Son Of Spam'.
May 12, 2004... Spyware Legislation Threatens New Rules For 'Net Access Providers Lawmakers in the House appear ready to begin drafting legislation that would put severe restrictions on the use of so-called "spyware," but writing such legislation may...

How Serious Is The Spyware Problem?
May 12, 2004... If data gathered by security software firm PC Pitstop is accurate, almost 25 percent of all personal computers in the United States are infected with some sort of unwanted or deceptive software bug. Other estimates place the infestation at...

If It Can Happen To Us, It Can Happen To Anybody.
May 12, 2004... In researching our spyware story, Telecom Policy Report itself became a victim this week after one of our analysts visited several Web sites in search of free downloads of anti-spyware software. And even though our analyst declined the free...

Lawmakers Caution Powell Against Primary Line Restriction.
May 12, 2004... Urge Chairman To Reject Recommendation Of Joint Board On Universal Service Nineteen House members, acting at the behest of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), this week fired off a strongly worded letter to FCC...

Despite Consumer Concerns, AT&T-Cingular Deal Still Likely.
May 12, 2004... Notwithstanding intense pressure from two well-organized consumer advocacy groups, it is highly unlikely the FCC or the Department of Justice will reject the proposed AT&T Wireless-Cingular merger. The marriage of these two wireless giants...

PACE Report's Findings Contradict Bell Companies' Claims.
May 12, 2004... A just-released report from a coalition of small competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) presents some stunning contradictions to many of the assertions made by incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) -- the Regional Bell Operating...

Telco Execs To Lawmakers: 'Reform Telecom Policy Now'.
May 12, 2004... The chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, Ivan Seidenberg, on Wednesday (May 12) told the Senate Commerce Committee that the time has come to totally overhaul U.S. telecom policy, a point with which the committee's chairman, Sen. John...

Who In Communications Is Giving What to Whom?
May 12, 2004... As has often been said before, a picture is worth a thousand words. That old adage has never been more true than when applied to an explanation of who's giving and who's getting in the political spending arena. The chart on this page...

Gap Widens Between BOCs, CLECs And IXCs.
May 19, 2004... Battle For Telecom's Future Grows Meaner, Uglier The recent offers and counter-offers exchanged between the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs), Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) and Interexchange Carriers (IXCs) regarding wholesale...

A Case Study: Dissecting The Insults, Allegations, Charges And Counter-Charges.
May 19, 2004... In the kind of tense atmosphere currently permeating the highly charged telecom arena, charges and counter-charges of various degrees of "wrongdoing" seem all too common. The warring factions openly hurl insults at one another as part of an...

A Consumer Advocate Responds To AT&T's Call For Binding Arbitration.
May 19, 2004... In analyzing the ongoing battle between the Baby Bells and their competitors, Consumer Federation of America's Director of Research Mark Cooper said, "It's obvious that the current negotiations... aren't working -- and why should they when the...

Industry Group Nears Completion Of Access Reform Plan.
May 19, 2004... Major players in local exchange and interstate long distance telephony by the end of this week could present to the FCC an industry-wide agreement that, if approved by the agency, might very well put an end to the interexchange access regime....

IXCs Get A Break In CLEC Access Charge Proceeding.
May 19, 2004... The interstate long distance service providers won a major victory late last week when the FCC finally "clarified" its position on the issue of access fees that competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) can levy on interexchange carriers...

New DBS Legislation Appears To Be Gaining Favor In Senate.
May 19, 2004... A move in the Senate to change the satellite TV broadcast carriage language in the 1999 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) by way of new legislation rather than an extension of SHVIA appears to be gaining momentum. A hearing last...

Phoenix Center Zapped By SBC For 'Trademark' Infringement.
May 19, 2004... Did The Baby Bell Act Out Of Concern Or Was This Simply Revenge? Telecom policy wonks, take heed: If you're going to use made-up terms to simplify an otherwise complicated telecom lexicon, you had best make certain the made-up terms you use...

Rep. Eric Cantor: Bliley's Protege Assumes The Master's Role.
May 19, 2004... Now, here's a lawmaker that telecom industry types ought to watch. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) got his start in politics first as an intern and later as a driver for former Rep. Tom Bliley (R-Va.), the now retired chairman of the House...

ICF To Present Access Reform Plan To FCC June 1.
May 26, 2004... Proposal Will Go Forward Despite Lack Of Industry-Wide Consensus The remaining members of the so-called Intercarrier Compensation Forum (ICF), the industry group that for months has worked "secretly" to craft a consensus plan for bringing...

TPR Names Top 10 Telecom Lobbyists For 2003-2004 Cycle.
May 26, 2004... Selecting the top 10 telecom lobbyists for the 2003-2004 election cycle was no easy task. Our editors looked at more than 100 nominees. Once we whittled the number down to 10, we then had to decide where to place them on the list. It was a...

FCC, CLECs Signal Intent To Pursue High Court Review Of TRO Case.
May 26, 2004... Chairman Powell Appears Weary Of BOCs' Resistance To Negotiations The FCC and a coalition of competitive local exchange carriers (CLECS) late Monday afternoon (May 24) filed separate petitions with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking...

NARUC, State Commissions Weigh In.
May 26, 2004... The FCC and a coalition of competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) are not alone in seeking an extension of the D.C. Circuit's stay of its order overturning large portions of the Commission's Triennial Review Order (TRO). A number of state...

Consumers Union Tells Senate To Can The CAN-SPAM Act.
May 26, 2004... Question: Are you receiving more or less spam in your email now that the so-called federal CAN-SPAM law has been implemented? If you're like the people who answered that question when Consumers Union asked it, the most likely answer is "more"...

Telcos Warm To New House Majority Whip Roy Blunt.
May 26, 2004... As majority whip, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), is the third highest ranking Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. And although he hasn't got a single telecom-related victory -- or, for that matter, even a defeat -- under his belt, the...