Lifting restrictions on ability of Bell companies to provide data services across in-region, interLATA boundaries “would mean that in addition to the local phone markets, the Baby Bells could also monopolize the long distance broadband market,” House Judiciary Committee Chmn. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said Mon. in his weekly Web column. USTA blasted Sensenbrenner’s comment, citing FCC statistics that indicated CLEC local phone market penetration was increasing. USTA also said data deregulation would hasten expansion of Internet services in underserved area, and urged Congress to allow telcos to compete for slice of high-speed Internet market under same terms as cable industry.
Satellite export reform bill (HR-1707) by Reps. Berman (D- Cal.) and Rohrabacher (R-Cal.) received endorsement of U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said it balanced national security and commercial satellite industry interests. Bill would return satellite export licensing authority to Commerce Dept. fromtae Dept. and would create State and Defense Dept. referral process. Chamber-led Space Enterprise Council released satellite export position paper this week with recommendations on how to speed policy reform, including those that reflect concerns expressed by bill’s sponsors that U.S. satellite industry was struggling to maintain share of global market. “U.S. industry was severely impacted when the jurisdiction of commercial satellite technology licensing was transferred from Commerce to State,” said council Chmn. Mark Bitterman. “The Space Enterprise Council believes that HR-1707 will help restore predictability, timeliness and transparency to the control system.” Meanwhile, GAO released report Thurs. indicating that State and Commerce completed general export reviews on the average of 46 and 50 days, respectively. It also has begun follow-up investigation on why some items, such as space systems and technology, rocket launch systems and telecom and information technology products took longest time to process.
Comprehensive 2-year report on Commerce Dept.’s controversial Advanced Technologies Program (ATP) released Wed. said ATP had been highly effective in its goal of accelerating development of high-risk technological innovations. Report, sponsored by National Research Council (NRC), came after Bush Administration officials had voiced doubts about focus and merits of R&D program. Administration’s FY 2002 budget would provide $13 million to support current ATP commitments and suspend granting of new awards pending Commerce Dept. investigation into program. ATP had received $146 million for FY 2001.
Fate of data deregulation bill is in hands of House Rules Committee, which now must make pivotal decision on which version of HR-1542 will go to House floor for vote. Supporters and opponents each claimed victory Wed. following House Judiciary Committee’s markup of amended bill and rejection of competing bills. Although panel by voice vote approved “unfavorable” referral of bill out of committee, it passed by voice vote amendment by Chmn. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that would expand authority of Dept. of Justice in reviewing applications for Sec. 271 relief.
New FCC Comr. Michael Copps brings to agency strong interest in international trade issues, fascination with challenges raised by changing technology and belief that one shouldn’t join FCC “with a controlling ideology.” In interview Wed. with Communications Daily, Copps appeared to walk line between market- oriented approach to many business issues and govt. activism on others such as mergers and broadcast content issues. He also revealed apparent fondness for phrasemaking. “Here I am at the FCC, the Future of the Country Commission,” he said at start of interview. Asked at end to categorize his special bent at agency, Copps, former history professor, said he thought there was room for lawyers, engineers and perhaps “a wayfaring historian” like himself.
CHICAGO -- Despite nation’s economic slowdown and depressed media ad spending, cable operators painted bright picture of industry’s future Mon., boasting about success of their digital video and high-speed data services. Speaking at opening session of NCTA’s annual convention here, heads of 3 of 4 biggest MSOs said they would continue to roll out digital, data and even newer services such as video-on-demand (VoD) and home networking briskly over next couple of years because of unquenched consumer demand. They also said slowing economy had had little impact on their core video products so far. “It [the economy] really hasn’t held us back,” Charter Communications Pres. Jerry Kent said.
Newly renamed and re-established House Aerospace Caucus may boost chances for Berman-Rohrabacher bill (HR-1707), which would return satellite export controls to Commerce Dept. from State Dept., said Bruce Mahome, Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA) Space Policy Dir. Rep. Weldon (R-Fla.) and Rep. Kucinich (D-O.) are chmn. of new caucus, which met Wed. to address concerns of U.S. aerospace market, including satellite industry. “Party affiliation doesn’t really matter” in forming caucus, Weldon spokesman said, because it includes “people hard to the left and people who are hard to the right who feel the same way about a given issue.” HR-1707 has picked up 14 co-sponsors and will be high on caucus’s agenda, Mahome said. “We will be working very seriously with the caucus on the Berman-Rohrabacher bill.” Support from caucus “possibly” would help bill’s chances of passing house, spokesman for Weldon said. “I know that’s a bill of extreme importance to the industry and it’s going to be given its proper review and we'll see what happens,” he told us.
Walter McCormick, slated to become pres. of USTA July 1, envisions group as “forum” where disparate carriers -- ILECs, CLECs, long distance companies, wireless providers and others -- discuss issues and come to agreements that can be presented to FCC and Congress. In interview with Communications Daily, McCormick, now pres. of American Trucking Assns. (ATA), said he knew it would be challenging to bring industry segments together that way. Telecom industry is going through what trucking did several years ago, he said. In both cases, regulation created divided industries and, as regulation eased, challenge was to bring those carriers together where they had common goals, McCormick said. ATA successfully accomplished that goal and he said he thought USTA could too.
Changes in legislation by Rep. Cannon (R-Utah) and House Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Conyers (Mich.) are being considered, including adjustment in how bill (HR-1698) would set standard of proof in telecom antitrust cases, Cannon said Thurs. One change under consideration is lowering bill’s proposed standard for courts reviewing FCC or state PUC findings of Telecom Act violations, he said in Capitol panel discussion sponsored by Advisory Committee to Congressional Internet Caucus.
Bush White House in recent months has focused on how to curb cybersecurity threats, issue that also had high priority in Clinton Administration but that has been shaped by keen interest of this White House in national security issues, sources said. Concerns are expected to be part of what is addressed this week in meeting of National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), which includes CEOs of 30 telecom, network service provider companies and other high-tech companies. Closed -door NSTAC meeting that started Tues. night marks first time group, which meets about every 9 months, has convened under Bush Administration. National Communications System (NCS) has seen that agency’s mission “is growing,” with much of change centering on underlying communications backbones, said Brent Greene, NCS deputy dir., at TechNet 2001 International show this week. “We do a lot of information sharing,” he said. “We are beginning to accelerate how much information we're putting out into the private sector, to help them be aware of cyber challenges that we see that could potentially impact the telecommunications backbone or that could potentially impact financial processes within the vendor and finance community.”