Recent state legislative actions on telecom deregulation bills have led to passage and defeat: Qwest won its 2nd major legislative deregulation victory of 2005 in Ia., while SBC in Ind. saw defeat of a deregulation bill it favored.
Wireless technology will play an increasingly important role in homeland security, FCC and industry officials agreed at a panel discussion during the CTIA show in New Orleans late Tues. But they said hurdles stood in the way of resolving many spectrum and other problems.
A Colo. House bill to let local authorities impose a 911 surcharge on VoIP services cleared the House committee process and is poised for floor action. The bill (HB- 1158) would exempt VoIP from state regulation and from state and local telecom taxation other than for 911. The measure would allow a monthly surcharge of up to 70 cents per access facility at the customer’s billing address. The legislation would automatically amend the VoIP surcharge to conform to any future 911 surcharge rules adopted by the FCC for VoIP providers.
The House Telecom Subcommittee released its witness list for the Wed. hearing on Internet Protocol technologies, including VoIP and video over IP. Witness will include: Paul Erickson, SunRocket Chmn.; Carl Grivner, XO Communications CEO; John Melcher, Greater Harris County (Tex.) 911 Emergency Network exec. dir.; Karen Puckett, CenturyTel COO; Thomas Rutledge, Cablevision Systems COO; and Mark Shlanta, S.D. Network Communications CEO. The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wed., Rm. 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
SAN FRANCISCO -- A day-long session conference by new Cal. PUC member Dian Grueneich, a confessed “novice to the world of telecom,” quickly gave her an education of sorts on the state of competition. She noted after the first panel Fri. that the witnesses had presented diametrically opposite views: Verizon and a former PUC president portrayed the industry as so intensely competitive as to undermine the premise of most conventional regulation. But a consumer group -- echoing statements by the commission’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) and a technology economist that the Bells have a stranglehold on the local-access linchpin that will only tighten with SBC’s proposed acquisition of AT&T and Verizon’s of MCI -- contended some rate regulation should be reinstated.
German VoIP provider Sipgate will offer emergency calling from Germany, to 110 for Germany and to 112 elsewhere in Europe, the company announced Fri. at the CeBIT. Authorities consider lack of 911-like emergency calls one of VoIP’s major problems . Sipgate said tests of the system, based on a cooperation with the network of Deutsche Telekom, were nearly complete and the company would offer the function in the coming month. Sipgate would be the first network-independent VoIP provider to make the offer. For nomadic VoIP users, said CEO Thilo Salmon, the company also was working on a solution, but was relying heavily on public authorities: “We could route emergency calls of nomadic customers to a central number; that could help anybody still able to speak.” But in Germany there’s no central number yet. Sipgate also announced several deals with hardware providers. Sipgate VoIP accounts, for example, will be preinstalled on several Siemens devices. The company also will offer a
SAN JOSE -- An extensive order addressing some issues in the IP-enabled services rulemaking should be ready for FCC consideration at the end of May, Wireline Bureau Chief Jeffrey Carlisle said at the VON Conference “town hall” here with Policy Development Chief Robert Pepper. The order will deal with jurisdiction over and classification of VoIP and “give indications” on VoIP players and regulatory social obligations such as E-911 and disabled access, Carlisle said. He told the audience he hoped the Commission would issue the order in the next several months. But he added that it depended on the FCC’s composition, since Chmn. Powell is leaving this month and Comr. Abernathy is thought likely to depart soon.
SAN JOSE -- NTIA Dir. Michael Gallagher stuck to his free-market guns Wed. when challenged over the low U.S. ranking in broadband penetration and mobile carriers use of their control over networks and handsets to deflect or destroy new capabilities. The U.S. will have the highest broadband adoption rate in the world, but through private efforts, not govt. mandates that lock in particular technologies, Gallagher said after speaking to the VON Conference here.
Over 70% of U.S. consumers would consider a VoIP subscription, according to a research study conducted by Level 3 and released early this week in conjunction with the spring VON conference. The survey of 1,400 adult U.S. consumers, found, however, that while many consumers are interested in VoIP, they require more information before adopting it. The “Kerry crowd” -- young adults, minorities and recent college graduates -- may be the next wave to adopt VoIP, the survey suggested: Data show those aged 18-34, Hispanics and recent college graduates have higher levels of interest in VoIP than the market as a whole. Nearly 73% of respondents said they would prefer VoIP services as part of a bundled package that includes broadband and possibly cable TV. Messaging/screening features and enhanced wireless capabilities topped the list of specific features the respondents said they would prefer. Call screen, call alerts and 911 personal information were also near the top of the list.
House Rural Caucus Chmn. Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed frustration about the lack of advanced services in rural areas and said he would support the rights of municipalities to build their own broadband networks. During Wed.’s Rural Caucus Telecom Task Force forum on VoIP, Peterson pushed the issue of municipal deployment of telecom services. “I don’t have a lot of hope” about broadband deployment in rural areas, he said.