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Gigabyte March on Washington
ISPs Challenge FCC Rule
EarthLink Inc., Time Warner Telecom Inc. and a host of small Internet service providers went to court to challenge regulatory action that they say puts wireline phone companies in control of high-speed broadband access to the Web. In arguments before a federal appeals court, the Internet service providers, or ISPs, challenged a Federal Communications Commission decision to lift regulations that required companies that run wireline phone networks to sell access to competing sellers of broadband service.
Source: WSJ
WISPA & FCC Meet on Issues
WISPA Meets With the FCC, Urges WISPs to File Form 477
WISPA told members of the ISP-Wireless list that the stature of all wireless internet service providers depends upon everyone telling the FCC they exist.
Yesterday, George Rogato of WISPA, the Wireless Internet Service Providers' Association, told members of the ISP-Wireless list about a recent visit to the offices of the FCC and FTC in Washington, D.C. He reiterated a plea to ISPs to file Form 477 with the FCC, saying what Zip Codes you operate in.
AskCALEA Weekly Article
To Join WISPA, signup online today!
CALEA tolls for the VoIP Sector
Electronic Surveillance Requirements Loom for VoIP Providers
Although the FCC has yet to define VoIP service providers as regulated common carriers, with each passing month the regulatory distinctions between VoIP and telecom common carriers are harder to discern. This past summer, the FCC imposed a series of Universal Service filing and payment obligations on certain VoIP service providers.
Now, the FCC has announced deadlines for interconnected VoIP providers to submit filings concerning compliance with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) rules.
AskCALEA Weekly Article
FCC Martin blows smoke at the
As some you know, I have not been very keen on Martin's leadership of the FCC and Friday's AT&T merger approval is another kick in the ass to Commissioners Copps and Adelstein and the rest of us in the industry. You will need to read Martin and Tate's comment to get a better sense of the bullshit that took place especially in a statement that Martin refers to as those " Democrat Commissioners".
Since Friday there has been an email going around from a very elite crowd of pundits within the industry, and many of them have voiced very strong opinions. In todays email, Gordon Cook detailed some interesting things to think about and wrote up some us these on his Cook's Collaborative Edge website.
CenturyTel to buy Madison River
CenturyTel said it would acquire Madison River Communications for $830 million. The deal will give CenturyTel 176,000 access lines in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina and boost its total access lines to nearly 2.3 million. Telephony Online
FCC's McDowell Stands By Recusal -
Decision leaves FCC deadlocked over deal that would create world's largest telecommunications company. Link Merger histories and other background at Cybertelecom
Commissioner McDowell's Statement Regarding His Participation in the AT&T/BellSouth Merger.
Former FCC Chair Powell -
Reporting from Phone+Mag, Michael Powell had this to say about Telecom regulation;
Oct 26, 2006 Excel Dealer Meeting Keynote - Phoenix, AZ.
"Telecom regulation - it's really broken... What on earth is a cableco that provides phone service? We don't know. That's a huge source of the noise. It's a battle over definitions. The market shouldn't be dependent on the label four or five regulators stick on a provider's forehead."
Freepress - Blow the Whistle on the FCC Ethics Scandal
Action Alert from the Freepress;
The FCC is at it again, ignoring the public interest to give handouts to massive corporations. This time, Chairman Kevin Martin has thrown the FCC's ethics out the window to rush through the mega-merger of AT&T and BellSouth.
Martin is forcing one commissioner, Robert McDowell, to overlook a conflict of interest and rubber stamp the AT&T merger without safeguards for Net Neutrality -- the longstanding principle that prevents Internet providers from discriminating between Web sites.
Chairman Martin is racing to deliver special favors to AT&T before the incoming Congress can provide oversight. Commissioner McDowell rightly "recused" his vote on the merger because he had prior business ties affected by the deal. That left the FCC in a 2-2 tie.
Rather than negotiate with commissioners in good faith, AT&T and Chairman Martin have resorted to strong-arm tactics to force McDowell to violate his ethical standards and vote for the merger.
Congress has begun to respond to Martin's outrageous behavior. Incoming House leaders John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Martin Tuesday demanding that the merger be handled "without compromising the ethical standards of the independent agency or the individual Commissioners involved."
This objection was echoed in the Senate by incoming Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye. He wrote to Martin: "I hope you will reconsider your decision to waive the ethical rules presently precluding Commissioner McDowell's participation and return to serious negotiations with your colleagues at the Commission. These rules and the rules of professional responsibility in general exist for a reason and should not be tossed away lightly."
We agree. To stop this unethical abuse of power, we need to make sure other members of Congress know about Martin's action and put a stop to it. Sign this letter to Congress today. Your comments will also be sent to the FCC:
Blow the Whistle on Martin. Save the Internet.
Don't let Chairman Martin skirt accountability and sell out Internet freedom. Take action now.
Learn more about how this merger could affect you. Visit www.freepress.net/att
Read Free Press cofounder John Nichols' Nation article on Chairman Martin's actions.
Read Free Press Executive Director Josh Silver's Huffington Post blog on the ethics scandal.
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