Delivered-To: dfarber+@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 12:26:12 -0700
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Powell Outlines Wireless Agenda
By Mark Rockwell
October 1, 2003
<http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=print_page&doc_id=127207>
WASHINGTON -- FCC Chairman Michael Powell this morning laid out his
to-do list for telecommunications regulation for the next few months, and
wireless tops the agenda.
At a press briefing, Powell said much had been done in wireless regulation
in the last couple of years, including the elimination of spectrum caps,
the unveiling of the spectrum task force report, which he called "a
blueprint for spectrum reform," and the beginnings of Wi-Fi regulations.
But much more needs to be done, he said.
One of the most important deadlines in the commission's wireless efforts
is less than two months away. Powell stood steadfastly behind the Nov. 24
local number portability deadline, calling it an "absolute essential" for
the wireless market. LNP is for real, and "the carriers ought to quit
complaining" about it, he said. After the deadline, the commission will
be "talking in an enforcement context" with carriers that don't comply, he
said. Those enforcement penalty options might closely resemble the
consent decrees, fines and imposed implementation schedules that were
imposed on carriers late in implementing E911 Phase II capabilities. The
details are still being worked out, he said.
As for other items on the FCC's immediate agenda, several overarching
telecommunications issues need to be addressed. Voice over IP, in
particular, will alter how every service is delivered and needs to be
dealt with. "It will be 'everything over IP,'" he said, making separate
regulations for wireless, wireline, cable and television obsolete.
Powell said the commission needs to get out in front of the technology
to help provide a clear vision of it to regulators, lawmakers and the
public. The commission will open hearings on VoIP soon.
Wireless is taking a clear leadership role in advancing telecom services
and technology, and the industry is making headway in offering a sound
alternative to provide competitive services to the home in direct
competition to the wireline phone companies. "It's spectrum, spectrum,
spectrum" for the commission's agenda in the coming months, he said.
"Wireless exploded as the leader" as an alternative to the local exchange
and is fueling many of the changes now taking place in the telecom market.
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