House Commerce Committee Vice Chmn. Pickering (R- Miss.) will spe...

on broadband policy and predictions for proposed “IP- enabled” legislation addressing VoIP, video and other broadband services. Pickering said there are some areas of consensus on the committee on how IP-enabled legislation should proceed. The bill primarily should regulate IP services at the federal level, and should include some social regulation, such as mandates on 911 and the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), Pickering said. But there is no consensus on how to treat content traveling over IP networks and how networks should be allowed to interconnect, he said. Pickering emphasized that “the old world is over,” with much of the 1996 Telecom Act no longer relevant. He said consolidation is coming and that at some point, there may be only 2 Bells: East and West. Though he sees concentration in the wireless and cable industry, “concentration is not necessarily a negative thing,” he said. Pickering said the principles of the 1996 Act remain achievable, mainly the maximization of competition while maximizing investment. “The danger here is duopoly,” he said, calling it essential to maintain 3-5 competitors while being realistic about regulatory parity. “It’s not possible to have regulatory parity,” Pickering said. “It is possible to have fairness.” Other speakers at the conference will include: FCC Comr. Adelstein, Colin Crowell, counsel to House Telecom Subcommittee ranking Democrat Markey (Mass.), and James Assey, counsel to Senate Commerce Committee ranking Democrat Inouye (Hawaii). The event will include panels on media mergers, access charges and universal service for rural carriers, and regulatory issues between telephone and cable networks. Former Secy. of State Colin Powell will keynote during dinner Wed. evening. The conference is scheduled for 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. Wed. at the J.W. Marriott in Washington.