IP: Story on broadband reform efforts

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Tech Daily 1/17/2002
> Telecom
> FCC's Agenda Continues Focus On Broadband, Reform
> by Teri Rucker
>
> The FCC touted its accomplishments at a monthly meeting Thursday, but outlined
> a busy agenda for 2002 that includes full implementation of its reform efforts
> and a continued focus on broadband.
>
> "I have always understood and embraced the importance of this issue," FCC
> Chairman Michael Powell said after the meeting. Although the agency is
> pursuing
> formal proceedings to better define and oversee high-speed Internet service,
> Powell cautioned that it is far "more complicated than wanting some
> broadband."
>
> There are a lot of pieces to the broadband puzzle, he said, and the FCC does
> not have jurisdiction over all of them. For example, even if broadband is
> available to all Americans, subscriptions automatically would be
> constrained by
> the number of households that own a computer.
> Policy challenges for the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau include developing a
> legal
> and policy framework for broadband services, such as understanding how
> broadband affects universal service, and further advancing competition policy,
> said bureau chief Dorothy Atwood.
> The bureau expects to handle 30 applications from regional Bell
> telecommunications companies seeking entry into the long-distance markets in
> various states, she said.
> FCC Commissioner Michael Copps suggested that the agency keep track of the
> competition in states where those firms have won long-distance approval, and
> that it work closely with state organizations to draft best practices on
> pricing models and operational support requirements.
> Powell said the agency is considering a refund request from wireless carriers
> that bid in the re-auction of licenses won by the bankrupt NextWave Telecom,
> but he could not say when the commission would issue a decision.
> The carriers had set a deadline of Friday for a decision on the refund, but
> Powell noted that it "wasn't well advised to give Congress a deadline" to
> approve the NextWave settlement, nor was it a good idea to impose deadlines on
> the FCC.
> Powell also said that the agency is focusing on a case pending at the Supreme
> Court, where justices are expected to decide whether to hear the case over
> whether NextWave or the FCC had the rights to the licenses after the firm
> stopped payment for them.
> Powell also announced that on Wednesday the commission approved its
> reorganization plan and submitted it to Congress. Congress does not have to
> approve the plan but can issue comments or ask the FCC to alter its plans.
> The FCC renamed several bureaus to reflect consolidation or added functions.
> For example, the Cable and Mass Media bureaus were rolled into the Media
> Bureau,
> and the Consumer Information Bureau became the Consumer and Governmental
> Affairs
> bureaus.
> Each bureau noted a significant reduction in its backlog of unresolved
> items, a
> problem that has generated criticism from Congress. Powell noted that the
> agency would continue to tackle the hard issues first and try to resolve them
> as quickly as possible.
> Powell also touted the agency's hiring of 18 additional engineers, saying the
> slowing economy and the rise in patriotism after the Sept. 11 terrorist
> attacks
> helped the agency attract them.

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