Telecom Policy Report articles from September 2005

Telecom Policy Report archives from September 2005

FCC Actions Fixate On Hurricane Emergency.
September 12, 2005... Among all the sweeping issues and majors challenges surfacing in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina emergency, the telecommunications community for the past two weeks has turned to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a focal point...

Broadband-Over-Powerline Gets Texas, California Boosts.
September 12, 2005... The emerging broadband-over-powerline (BPL) service-provider business received two shots in the arm last week via legislative and regulatory policy initiatives in Texas and California, respectively. Although a Texas Legislature telecom...

Capitol Hill Raises Flag On Katrina's Telecom Concerns.
September 12, 2005... While most of the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina has focused on the economic impact, costly energy disruptions and the performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, federal lawmakers also have begun looking at the...

GSM Hearing-Aid Compatibility: You Can't Hear It Yet.
September 12, 2005... It came down to the wire, so to speak, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week altered its Sept. 16 deadline for 850 MHz/2,900 MHz dual-band GSM handsets to incorporate hearing-aid compatibility by deciding to base...

Ohio Advocate Still Pushing Against SBC/AT&T Merger.
September 12, 2005... "It ain't over until it's over," so Ohio's official public utility consumer advocate wants the proposed $16 billion SBC Communications/AT&T merger rejected unless benefits to residential subscribers can be demonstrated as required under...

In The House: Telecom-Reform 'Discussion Draft' Surfaces.
September 19, 2005... Fewer than two weeks after the second session of the 109th U.S. Congress convened, federal lawmakers already have started to consider a "discussion draft" of sweeping telecom reform legislation - including a new framework for the Federal...

Capitol Hill: Pressured On Emergency Spectrum, DTV Issues.
September 19, 2005... Capitol Hill last week drew renewed criticism for tardiness in meeting spectrum and interoperability needs, and on the perils of first-responder, emergency- service and law-enforcement officials responsible for dealing with emergencies all...

Are Anti-Merger Fevers Rising As FCC Approvals Near?
September 19, 2005... Amid reports that the Federal Communications Commission may be moving closer to approving the proposed $16 billion SBC Communications/AT&T and the $8.5 billion Verizon Communications/MCI "mega-merger" transactions, there are indications that...

FCC Sees USF Money, Internal Change In Hurricane's Wake.
September 19, 2005... With communications-system restoration already a high priority for almost three weeks in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction in the Gulf Coast region (TPR, Sept. 12), the Federal Communications Commission has outlined plans for...

APCO Presses First Responder Needs.
September 19, 2005... In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's damage and disruption of both enterprise and official communications capabilities, the Association of Public- Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International continues to underscore the urgent...

Senate Approps Bill Exempts USF Restrictions.
September 19, 2005... The U.S. Senate has passed a Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill with language providing an additional 12-month exemption of the Universal Service Fund (USF) from Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA) provisions that prevent federal agencies...

FCC Releases Telco-Cableco Broadband Parity Rules.
September 26, 2005... The Federal Communications Commission late Friday issued its formal order giving wireline carriers the same light-touch regulatory status as cablecos for provisioning bundled and broadband services, including DSL, and setting the path toward...

Munis Want More Telecom-Reform Draft Input.
September 26, 2005... A "discussion draft" of sweeping telecom-reform legislation that surfaced recently in the U.S. House of Representatives (TPR, Sept, 19; TelecomWeb news break, Sept. 16) is beginning to generate some relatively negative feedback, with...

BT Group, Ofcom Settle U.K. 'Separate Subsidiary' Regime.
September 26, 2005... In a deal reportedly cut after more than a year of negotiations, BT Group (British Telecom) and U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom last week reached a final agreement on a deregulatory regime in the country that includes the dominant carrier...

FCC Dupes Action On Hurricane Rita.
September 26, 2005... With Hurricane Rita roaring out of the Gulf of Mexico onto the coast of the Texas-Louisiana border and northward, the Federal Communications Commission over the past weekend invoked a wide range of emergency measures for the impacted area...

USF Exemption Effort Turns Toward The House.
September 26, 2005... The lobbying effort behind getting an additional 12-month exemption of the Universal Service Fund (USF) from Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA) provisions - which prevent federal agencies from spending or committing funds to programs that are...