The National Multifamily Housing Council lobbied FCC leadership, calling the apartment industry "very competitive," with "owners keenly aware" of the need to provide modern communications services for residents. "This debate is really about whether the commission should help a handful of potential competitors carve up the high end of the market," said NMHC on meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai, Brendan Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel and aides, posted Tuesday in docket 17-91 (here, here and here). "Providers control the market. There is a lack of competition in the market today, but it is in the smaller, less lucrative buildings that competitive providers choose not to serve." NMHC backed a petition to pre-empt a San Francisco code that requires multi-tenant buildings let occupants request access to competing providers (see 1612150006). It opposed further FCC steps toward regulation from a multiple tenant environment inquiry (see 1706220036) and Article 8 of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee's proposed Model State Act (see 1807270020), which it said "would force the rental apartment industry to subsidize" broadband deployment. In a USTelecom forbearance proceeding, Incompas pressed the FCC to keep discounted wholesale unbundled network elements, which it said facilitate fiber networks that assist 5G. An enhanced satellite image of San Francisco showing fiber deployments by Zayo in business districts and Sonic Telecom in residential areas -- with Sonic crediting UNEs "as a stepping stone" -- illustrates the potential for competitive "fiber rich networks for fronthauling of small cells in residential areas," wrote Incompas on meeting a Pai aide, in docket 18-141.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the mandate of a panel's partial reversal of an FCC order that largely deregulated business data service rates of price-cap incumbent telcos. An FCC motion to stay the mandate is granted until Nov. 12, 2019, said a court order (in Pacer) in Citizens Telecommunications v. FCC, No. 17-2296. The FCC argued the stay would avoid BDS market disruption while it considers the procedural reversal and remand of TDM interoffice transport pricing deregulation (see 1810100054), which it proposed to reinstate in a recent Further NPRM (see 1810230032). Incompas and Sprint opposed the motion while USTelecom, AT&T and CenturyLink backed it (see 1810220035).
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the mandate of a panel's partial reversal of an FCC order that largely deregulated business data service rates of price-cap incumbent telcos. An FCC motion to stay the mandate is granted until Nov. 12, 2019, said a court order (in Pacer) in Citizens Telecommunications v. FCC, No. 17-2296. The FCC argued the stay would avoid BDS market disruption while it considers the procedural reversal and remand of TDM interoffice transport pricing deregulation (see 1810100054), which it proposed to reinstate in a recent Further NPRM (see 1810230032). Incompas and Sprint opposed the motion while USTelecom, AT&T and CenturyLink backed it (see 1810220035).
Google Vice President-Policy and Government Relations Susan Molinari moves to senior adviser in January ... Michael Weinberg, ex-Public Knowledge, leaves Shapeways to become executive director, New York University School of Law Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy ... American Public Media Group promotes Chandra Kavati to vice president-content distribution and partnerships ... Tessco Technologies promotes Mary Beth Smith to Ventev general manager.
Google Vice President-Policy and Government Relations Susan Molinari moves to senior adviser in January ... Michael Weinberg, ex-Public Knowledge, leaves Shapeways to become executive director, New York University School of Law Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy ... American Public Media Group promotes Chandra Kavati to vice president-content distribution and partnerships ... Tessco Technologies promotes Mary Beth Smith to Ventev general manager.
LAS VEGAS -- A key telecom challenge is to ensure regional and smaller providers can compete in a market dominated by large national players, Windstream CEO Tony Thomas said Wednesday. He said his company is the No. 5 fiber provider, with half a million locations on-net. "We can't be a national provider without some sort of basic, functioning wholesale market," he said, noting the need to serve business customers with scattered locations. He backed spectrum policies that do more to allow smaller bidders to compete with the big four national wireless carriers and voiced concern about large tech companies gobbling up upstarts.
LAS VEGAS -- CLEC executives at the Incompas Show mixed optimism and hope that the FCC won't grant a USTelecom bid for ILEC relief from wholesale duties to share networks with rivals. They told show attendees that competitor ability to lease access to discounted copper unbundled network elements (UNEs) of large incumbents encourages both sides to deploy fiber. Some cited the importance of maintaining "avoided-cost resale" requirements also targeted by a USTelecom forbearance petition.
LAS VEGAS -- CLEC executives at the Incompas Show mixed optimism and hope that the FCC won't grant a USTelecom bid for ILEC relief from wholesale duties to share networks with rivals. They told show attendees that competitor ability to lease access to discounted copper unbundled network elements (UNEs) of large incumbents encourages both sides to deploy fiber. Some cited the importance of maintaining "avoided-cost resale" requirements also targeted by a USTelecom forbearance petition.
LAS VEGAS -- Telecom provider antitrust immunity under a 2003 Supreme Court case isn't sweeping, said Makan Delrahim, DOJ assistant attorney general, at the Incompas show Tuesday. In Verizon v. Trinko, justices said "the mere violation of an FCC rule that was intended to deregulate a market does not create an antitrust violation," he said in Q&A with Steptoe & Johnson's Markham Erickson. "It doesn't mean the antitrust laws don't apply. … Where there has been deregulation, if it meets our test, we would challenge either the conduct or the transaction.”
LAS VEGAS -- Telecom provider antitrust immunity under a 2003 Supreme Court case isn't sweeping, said Makan Delrahim, DOJ assistant attorney general, at the Incompas show Tuesday. In Verizon v. Trinko, justices said "the mere violation of an FCC rule that was intended to deregulate a market does not create an antitrust violation," he said in Q&A with Steptoe & Johnson's Markham Erickson. "It doesn't mean the antitrust laws don't apply. … Where there has been deregulation, if it meets our test, we would challenge either the conduct or the transaction.”