Telecom Policy Report articles from November 2003

Telecom Policy Report archives from November 2003

USTA, Bells Face Possible Antitrust Probe.
November 5, 2003... Competitors Press Congress To Investigate 'Cartel-Like' Behavior The Baby Bells and their lobbying group, the U.S. Telecom Association (USTA), are facing the prospect of a congressional investigation into allegations that include, among...

Staunch Bell Supporter Tauzin Eyeing Top Job At MPAA.
November 5, 2003... Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is preparing to leave Congress and assume the leadership of the Motion Picture Association of America, replacing current MPAA President Jack Valenti, sources close to...

Legg Mason Sees USTA/Bell-Sponsored Event As An Omen Of Legislation In 2005.
November 5, 2003... Incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), the Baby Bells in particular, apparently believe the political climate in 2005 will be favorable for passage of new telecom legislation, according to analysts at investor advisor Legg Mason. In fact,...

Lobbyists Making Last-Ditch Effort To Secure LNP Delay.
November 5, 2003... NARUC Officials Infuriated As Wireless Industry Steps Up Efforts In The Senate Continued efforts by elements of the wireless industry to secure legislation that would allow wireless carriers to either delay or altogether abstain from...

New Study Tracks Increasing Use Of Digital Information.
November 5, 2003... A new study by the School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California at Berkley (UCB) could end up being used by both proand anti-regulation elements to underscore society's growing dependence on digital technologies...

TPR's Top Lobbyists Picks For October.
November 5, 2003... Regardless of which side of an issue they may represent, lobbyists help crystallize and define the public debate. TPR's top lobbyists picks for October represent a diversity of viewpoints and myriad issues. At the top of our list is Jeff...

Chairman Wants Antitrust Affirmed In Trinko.
November 12, 2003... Sensenbrenner Vows 'Swift, Decisive' Response To Wrong Decision Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has sent a strong signal to the U.S. Supreme Court that if the justices overturn a lower court's...

Conyers Urges Judiciary To Probe Purpose Of USTA/Bell-Backed 'Private Party'.
November 12, 2003... Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has gone public in seeking a congressional probe into charges that the U.S. Telecom Association (USTA) and three Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) may have run afoul...

D.C. Circuit Nominee Janis Brown To Face Filibuster.
November 12, 2003... Senates Democrats are planning to filibuster the Bush Administration's nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Janis Rogers Brown, sources on Capitol Hill tell TPR. This development is important to those involved in telecom...

FCC's LNP 'Clarification' Catches Telcos Off Guard.
November 12, 2003... Wireline-To-Wireless Portability Mandated By Nov. 24 Deadline The FCC may very well have overstepped itself this week when it issued an order - more of a clarification actually - "reaffirming" an earlier order requiring wireless carriers to...

UN-Backed Forum Offers E-Government Recipe For Sustained Development.
November 12, 2003... Improved governance and public administration are necessary preconditions for sustainable development, according to the United Nations-backed Fifth Global Forum on Re-inventing Government. The forum of more than 100 delegations, which...

Coalition Moves To Force FCC's Hand On Special Access.
November 12, 2003... A coalition of businesses, industry associations and a business users group has filed a mandamus petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that, if granted, would require the FCC to rule within 45 days on an emergency...

FCC's 'Broadcast Flag' Rules Set To Move DTV Forward.
November 12, 2003... The FCC's adoption last week of an anti-piracy mechanism - known as the "broadcast flag" - for digital broadcast television has some key members of Congress suddenly lauding praise on the regulatory agency. In adopting the "broadcast flag"...

Shimkus Hitches His Wagon To Promise Of Broadband.
November 12, 2003... When John Shimkus entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1976, he fully intended on making a career out of the Army. Politics was not on his agenda - at least not at that time. But here it is 27 years later, and Rep. John Shimkus...

Powell Said To Have Second Thoughts On VoIP.
November 19, 2003... In this special edition of TPR, we take an up-close-and-personal look at Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and at the chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell, who suddenly appears to be leaning toward a policy position that would impose some...

Software Developer CEO Explores The Dark Side Of VoIP.
November 19, 2003... Incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) access charges have been controversial since they were introduced in 1983. They have just become a whole lot more controversial with the announcement of a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into...

VoIP Appears To Be Nearing The Regulatory Edge.
November 19, 2003... While dramatic gains in end-user devices and long-haul capacity have slightly helped competitive local exchange carriers and dedicated access providers, the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) and cablecos - the owners of the much coveted local...

Hackers, Viruses, Worms Threaten Emerging Technology.
November 19, 2003... It may well be that regulators, the states and even the courts will eventually arrive at a universal decision to maintain a hands-off posture in dealing with the VoIP issue - at least for the time being. That is certainly what edge companies...

Towns Presses To Streamline TDF, Ensure Cyber Privacy.
November 19, 2003... Remember the Telecommunications Development Fund? That is the controversial program that became the focus of much criticism earlier this year when the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., issued a scathing report lambasting FCC...

Markey Ready To Do Battle With IT Industry.
November 26, 2003... Privacy Legislation Would Rein In Interactive TV Devices Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a key member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is about to cross swords with the U.S. information technology (IT) industry. Markey, who once...

FCC Poised For Dec. 1 Public Forum On VoIP.
November 26, 2003... Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking Likely To Come In February The FCC is about to leap headlong into the wild and wooly world of VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol - and has set Dec. 1 as the date for its first, and likely only, public forum on...

Administration Suspicious Of Iran's Telecom Play.
November 26, 2003... There is concern within the Bush Administration that Iran may be trying to position itself as a major telecom hub between Asia and Europe, TPR has learned. In fact, a new report published by the London-based broadband and mobility consultancy...

OCC Wants Court To Trash Ohio's New Rate Rules.
November 26, 2003... The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC), the state's residential utility advocate, has told the Ohio Supreme Court that the telephone rules permitting Sprint and all of the state's other local telephone companies to raise rates on commonly used...

California Is First State To Require E-Voting Paper Trail.
November 26, 2003... Responding to a raft of reports detailing flaws in electronic voting systems, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley is now requiring all electronic voting systems purchased by California counties to provide a paper printout that will...

ITU Creates World's First Global ICT Ranking Tool.
November 26, 2003... The first global index to rank information and communication technology (ICT) access has turned up some surprises. Slovenia ties France and the Republic of Korea, usually not among the top 10 in international ICT rankings, comes in fourth....

TPR Begins Probe Of 'Public Interest' Advocates.
November 26, 2003... The debate surrounding telecom policymaking is growing more intense with each passing day. It now appears nearly inevitable that Congress will again tackle a major reform of federal telecommunications policy when it reconvenes next year. The...

TPR's Top Telecom Lobbyist Picks For November.
November 26, 2003... Once again another session of Congress grinds to a close, and another year of FCC policymaking draws to an end. It has been a most eventful year, and we have seen and heard much from the industry's most effective advocates - among them, the...