Homeland security and appropriations are likely to be most pressing concerns for Congress once it returns this week, but telecom and Internet issues probably will be raised and appropriations seemed likely vehicle for some measures. No telecom-related bills are on agenda for Senate, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Daschle (D-S.D.) said. Senate will consider nomination of Jonathan Adelstein, Daschle aide on telecom issues, for open Democratic seat on FCC, although vote hasn’t been scheduled. First priority for Senate will be proposal to create Homeland Security Dept., spokeswoman said. Several Hill sources said it was likely that congressional session would extend past Oct.4 scheduled recess, even including “lame duck” session where lawmakers defeated in Nov. could return. “That means that September will be more like a regular month and won’t have the focus on appropriations that it usually does,” Senate staffer told us. “They'll likely save that for November or December.”
AT&T is pushing new type of loop provisioning technology aimed at making it easier and cheaper for competitors to access Bell DSL and voice services. AT&T consultant Larry Kotlikoff, chmn. of Boston U. Economics Dept., said that in last 4 months he had described new technological approach to policy-makers at FCC, Commerce Dept., Treasury, Council of Economic Advisers, Senate Commerce Committee. Kotlikoff distributed paper to news media Aug. 30 that described electronic loop provisioning (ELP), also called loop electronic access provisioning (LEAP). He said in interview that technology involved software that digitized and packetized signals, then sent them to ATM switch into which all competitors would be connected. Equipment to convert voice and data communications into packets would be located in remote terminals in neighborhoods or business districts, he said. Packets or “cells” would be “densely packed onto a shared fiber wire that connected to ATM switch,” Kotlikoff’s paper said. It’s now “elaborate multistep process” for Bell to provide CLEC with telephone line, or loop, running from customer’s home or office to Bell central office, he said. Work includes “physically identifying, disconnecting and reconnecting the client’s paired telephone wire,” paper said. In addition, CLEC needs to colocate equipment in Bell central office, Kotlikoff said. Speaking at NARUC’s July meeting, AT&T CEO-designate David Dorman said that if states and FCC required Bells to implement electronic provisioning, it would be as easy to switch customer’s loop to new carrier as it was to switch long distance companies. That technology also could simplify process used by Bell companies to switch their own customers to DSL-based service or to rearrange their customers’ voice services, Kotlikoff said. He said ELP technology would improve transmission speeds “to close to the point of providing video transmission,” offering support for more broadband applications, and was “amazingly cheap compared with other ideas -- for 40 billion bucks you could hook up 95% of the nation’s phone lines.” As result, consumer prices for broadband could be reduced as speeds increase, he said. “We need a new idea in this discussion.”
LONG BEACH, Cal. -- Private businesses should collaborate with military to build integrated satellite system with multiple uses to protect national security and provide armed forces with support for high-tech weapon and communication systems, govt. and industry officials said at International Satellite & Communications Exchange (ISCE) 2002 workshop here. “We've come a long way in integrating space and ground structure, particularly since Desert Storm when some of the first applications for Global Positioning Systems (GPS) were used,” Aerospace Corp. Senior Vp John Parsons said: “We still have a long way to go. There are a lot of new technologies and architectures that will enhance the role of space in military applications.” Other panelists were Asst. Secy. of Defense John Stenbit, Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Arnold of Space Command, National Security Council Space Policy Dir. Gil Klinger, Booz-Allen & Hamilton Vp Keith Hall, TRW Space & Electronics Missile Defense Systems Vp Patrick Caruanna.
LONG BEACH, Cal. -- “Fundamental reform” of export licensing controls is needed for survival of U.S. satellite business, Boeing Vp-Govt. & Legislative Affairs Loretta Dunn told International Satellite & Communications Exchange (ISCE) Conference here Thurs. Dunn said she had led industrywide effort to modify controls since satellites were placed on munitions list and licensing was moved to State Dept. from Commerce Dept. in 1998 after 2 U.S. companies were accused of passing sensitive technical information to Chinese following launch failures. Satellites should be licensed as commercial products, Dunn said: “It’s critical for industry to move forward. We need rationalized and streamlined” approach to licensing. She said industry wanted “to move satellites back to Commerce, but we don’t want to change any of the safeguards.” Dunn said not one U.S. satellite export license request had been rejected since new guidelines had been in place.
Broadband will succeed when content can be distributed online with technological protections from piracy, along with concerted consumer education campaign, News Corp. COO Peter Chernin told Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) Aspen Summit in Colo. Same argument was pitched by Intel Exec. Vp Leslie Vadasz and RIAA Pres.-Gen. Counsel Cary Sherman and cheered by Asst. Secy. of Commerce for Technology Policy Bruce Mehlman.
Forum of state lawmakers is considering 3 draft telecom bills for introduction in fall when many legislatures return for sessions. American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Telecom & Information Technology (IT) unanimously approved proposed bill at recent annual meeting that will be considered by its board in late Sept. If approved, members will be encouraged to introduce bills that would: (1) Reform rights-of-way (ROW) management to limit what states could charge for access. (2) Establish protections for industry against municipalities that offered competing telecom services. (3) Establish statewide standards for cellphone driver safety legislation. ALEC describes itself as bipartisan association of conservative state lawmakers who focus on principals of limited govt., free markets, federalism, individual liberty. Aug. annual meeting in Orlando drew 2,500, including 1,000 state lawmakers. Task force meeting drew 45 state legislators.
ASPEN -- Broadband will succeed when content can be distributed online with technological protections from piracy, along with concerted consumer education campaign, News Corp. COO Peter Chernin said at Progress & Freedom Foundation Aspen Summit here. Same argument was pitched by Intel Exec. Vp Leslie Vadasz and RIAA Pres.-Gen. Counsel Cary Sherman and cheered by Asst. Secy. of Commerce for Technology Policy Bruce Mehlman. But summit didn’t see resolution of contentious issue of online content distribution, with off- the-record panel on subject Mon. quickly degenerating into name-calling and accusations of industries’ enabling criminal behavior. Much hallway conversation Tues. focused on negative and unproductive tone of much of that dialog, and at least one participant had intended to take some of remarks on record by addressing them in Tues. meeting, but was dissuaded when told it would only further degrade level of dialog. Mehlman, who has hosted several digital rights management forums at Technology Administration, told Summit Tues. that Mon. panel contained more contention than solutions.
ASPEN -- New technologies and services such as Wi-Fi and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) should be sheltered from burdensome regulation in their infancies, with regulators perhaps even acting proactively to promote their growth and spur competition with incumbent industries, FCC and Commerce Dept. officials said here Mon. Speaking at Aspen Summit organized by Progress & Freedom Foundation, FCC Comrs. Kathleen Abernathy and Kevin Martin, along with NTIA Dir. Nancy Victory, agreed on need for what Abernathy called new services doctrine, and even drew some support from industry representatives who would find themselves at regulatory disadvantage in such model.
Recent lobbying registrations with Secy. of Senate show deeper arsenals for 3 Bells, as well as Microsoft and AOL Time Warner. Global Crossing, in bankruptcy court, and Compaq, purchased by Hewlett-Packard, not surprisingly have seen termination forms filed by some lobbyists. At least one outside lobbying group for WorldCom has yet to bail, however, reporting $120,000 in lobbying income from bankrupt telecom in first 6 months of 2002.
Senior telecom officials at Inter-American Telecom Commission (CITEL) assembly meeting in Washington Mon. stressed extent to which investments in advanced networks before current economic downturn haven’t adequately filled in gaps in digital divide in Latin American countries. While opening of telecom markets in individual countries in region has led to greater competition for business customers, in many cases that hasn’t translated down to poorest consumer groups, said Luis di Benedetto, pres. of Hispanoamerican Assn. of Research Centers & Telecom Companies (AHCIET). To expand universal service among such customer groups, stepped- up regulation will be needed, he said: “Market action as a driver is not enough to close the gap.” One key focus of week-long CITEL assembly meeting is fine-tuning of draft action plan for “Connectivity in the Americas” that would lay out regional blueprint for how countries could expand telecom and Internet services cooperatively. First day’s discussion turned, in part, to how more ubiquitous access to information technology should take into account wider availability of locally developed content and access for poor and rural areas that often still are bypassed by telephone connections. Several panelists pointed to increased challenges in those areas in current market downturns.