Some telcos are talking to rivals about business data service regulation in an effort to seek a broader compromise, according to industry officials. “Members of the mid-size ILEC coalition have reached out to Incompas and Verizon and conversations continue,” emailed Mike Saperstein, Frontier Communications vice president-federal regulatory. The other members are CenturyLink, FairPoint Communications and Consolidated Communications, he said Friday.

Some telcos are talking to rivals about business data service regulation in an effort to seek a broader compromise, according to industry officials. “Members of the mid-size ILEC coalition have reached out to Incompas and Verizon and conversations continue,” emailed Mike Saperstein, Frontier Communications vice president-federal regulatory. The other members are CenturyLink, FairPoint Communications and Consolidated Communications, he said Friday.

Cable companies lobbied the FCC against regulating business data service rates offered by new entrants. Comcast officials believe "the marketplace is increasingly competitive, and that the strong evidence of continuing investment by new entrants, expanding output, and declining prices militates heavily against the imposition of wide-scale rate regulation," said a filing posted Thursday in docket 16-143 summarizing meetings with FCC commissioner aides, General Counsel Howard Symons, Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero and other staffers. "In light of the Commission’s goal of promoting facilities-based competitive entry, it would be especially counterproductive to subject new entrants in the BDS marketplace to rate regulation. We noted that even parties like Level 3 and Public Knowledge -- both of which favor a significant expansion of rate regulation for incumbents -- recognize that such measures should apply only to providers with market power, and that Verizon and INCOMPAS recently appear to have acknowledged that competitive providers should be exempt (at least for some period of time) from rate regulation." Cox Communications also urged FCC officials not to impose rate regulation on new entrants. AT&T, CenturyLink and Windstream made additional filings in the docket on recent lobbying visits.

Cable companies lobbied the FCC against regulating business data service rates offered by new entrants. Comcast officials believe "the marketplace is increasingly competitive, and that the strong evidence of continuing investment by new entrants, expanding output, and declining prices militates heavily against the imposition of wide-scale rate regulation," said a filing posted Thursday in docket 16-143 summarizing meetings with FCC commissioner aides, General Counsel Howard Symons, Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero and other staffers. "In light of the Commission’s goal of promoting facilities-based competitive entry, it would be especially counterproductive to subject new entrants in the BDS marketplace to rate regulation. We noted that even parties like Level 3 and Public Knowledge -- both of which favor a significant expansion of rate regulation for incumbents -- recognize that such measures should apply only to providers with market power, and that Verizon and INCOMPAS recently appear to have acknowledged that competitive providers should be exempt (at least for some period of time) from rate regulation." Cox Communications also urged FCC officials not to impose rate regulation on new entrants. AT&T, CenturyLink and Windstream made additional filings in the docket on recent lobbying visits.

Heavy regulation of business data services would discourage investment by incumbent telcos and upstarts in an increasingly competitive market, said speakers at a USTelecom panel Thursday. Cable and ILEC representatives called potential BDS constraints dangerous, and a union representative voiced concern about proposals for rate cuts, starting with a "flash cut" of 20 percent. "Not good for investment. Not good for jobs," said Debbie Goldman, Communications Workers of America telecom policy director.

Heavy regulation of business data services would discourage investment by incumbent telcos and upstarts in an increasingly competitive market, said speakers at a USTelecom panel Thursday. Cable and ILEC representatives called potential BDS constraints dangerous, and a union representative voiced concern about proposals for rate cuts, starting with a "flash cut" of 20 percent. "Not good for investment. Not good for jobs," said Debbie Goldman, Communications Workers of America telecom policy director.

Though there may be “an evolution” in the FCC's set-top plan, NCTA and its attorney, Helgi Walker of Gibson Dunn, met with new FCC General Counsel Howard Symons Monday to brief him on NCTA objections to the original set-top NPRM, said an ex parte filing posted online in docket 16-42 Tuesday. The briefing was a response to “statements made by proponents of the NPRM that they hoped to 'bolt on' aspects of the NPRM to the apps-based approach,” NCTA said. Incompas has suggested a combination of the FCC and pay-TV plans it called the “bolt-on” approach. “Any proposal -- even if termed 'apps-based' -- that includes unbundling and disaggregation of content and/or interactive services” would lead to legal challenges, NCTA said.

Though there may be “an evolution” in the FCC's set-top plan, NCTA and its attorney, Helgi Walker of Gibson Dunn, met with new FCC General Counsel Howard Symons Monday to brief him on NCTA objections to the original set-top NPRM, said an ex parte filing posted online in docket 16-42 Tuesday. The briefing was a response to “statements made by proponents of the NPRM that they hoped to 'bolt on' aspects of the NPRM to the apps-based approach,” NCTA said. Incompas has suggested a combination of the FCC and pay-TV plans it called the “bolt-on” approach. “Any proposal -- even if termed 'apps-based' -- that includes unbundling and disaggregation of content and/or interactive services” would lead to legal challenges, NCTA said.

Though there may be “an evolution” in the FCC's set-top plan, NCTA and its attorney, Helgi Walker of Gibson Dunn, met with new FCC General Counsel Howard Symons Monday to brief him on NCTA objections to the original set-top NPRM, said an ex parte filing posted online in docket 16-42 Tuesday. The briefing was a response to “statements made by proponents of the NPRM that they hoped to 'bolt on' aspects of the NPRM to the apps-based approach,” NCTA said. Incompas has suggested a combination of the FCC and pay-TV plans it called the “bolt-on” approach. “Any proposal -- even if termed 'apps-based' -- that includes unbundling and disaggregation of content and/or interactive services” would lead to legal challenges, NCTA said.

CenturyLink knocked an Incompas/Verizon proposal to reduce ILEC rates for DS1 and DS3 special access services in areas deemed noncompetitive "to account for supposed growth" in ILEC productivity since 2005. CenturyLink said the proposal would cut ILEC DS1 and DS3 rates by 10 percent in year one and another 5 percent in year two, on top of productivity-driven "X-factor" cuts of 4.4 percent for both years, producing a total reduction of more than 20 percent in the first two years. The cuts could potentially affect Ethernet rates as well, if a "benchmarking" plan is adopted, the telco said.