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Vol. 10, No. 53December 15, 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
OPEN INTERNET
COMPTEL PLUS
AT THE FCC
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
SAVE THE DATE

February 24-25

COMPTEL Competition & Innovation 
Policy Summit

Newseum
Washington, D.C.
MEMBER NEWS








For more information about submitting member company news, please contact Gail Norris.
FCC DEADLINES

December 22

December 23

January 7

April 6

May 18
CAREER CENTER


SOCIALIZE WITH COMPTEL

 

@COMPTEL 

@COMPTELPLUS 

                          

Diamond Rio publicity shot

 
TOP OF THE NEWS
COMPTEL Points Out Discrepancy in Verizon's Claims on the Impact of Title II on Network Investment
On December 11, COMPTEL filed an ex parte with the FCC that called into question claims that Verizon has been making about the impact of Title II on network investment.

The Washington Post reported that Verizon's CFO told investors during a conference call last week that the Commission's use of Title II would not impact the investment that Verizon makes in either its wireline or wireless networks.

COMPTEL's letter pointed out that, on the contrary, Verizon claimed in the Open Internet proceeding that "[r]eclassification would endanger today's high level of investment and innovation in broadband infrastructure." Therefore, COMPTEL urged the FCC to "consider this disclosure and discount the claims that network investment will decline if the Commission reclassifies broadband Internet access services."

COMPTEL's letter continued: "Reclassification, with appropriate forbearance, will provide the legally sustainable framework for the rules that are necessary to ensure an open Internet. A similar light-touch approach has been extremely successful in the wireless industry and can work in this context as well. Given that Verizon's wireless business has thrived under this model, it is not surprising that Verizon has acknowledged that Title II reclassification will not impact its network investments."
COMPTEL PLUS
COMPTEL Thanks Sponsors of Spring 2015 Expo
The excitement and anticipation is already building for the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015, which is taking place April 12-15 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando. COMPTEL would like to thank the companies, which are sponsoring the Spring event, including:

Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors Additional sponsors include Accedian Networks, bandwidth, Charter Business, Cisco Systems, CSF Corporation, FairPoint Communications, FirstLight Fiber, GeoResults, HyperCube, Impact Telecom, Lumos Networks, Nationwide Regulatory Compliance, NetSapiens, Sales Tax Associates, Sonus Networks, Time Warner Cable, TransNexus, Verizon Global Wholesale and Zayo Group.

Not Too Late to Secure Your Sponsorship
Don't let a great opportunity to increase your company's visibility among the top decision makers in the communications industry pass you by. In addition to raising your company's profile, a COMPTEL PLUS sponsorship will enable you to:
  • Improve your chances of securing a meeting room;
  • Realize significant savings on booth fees; and
  • Gain extra FREE registrations for your employees.
Visit the COMPTEL PLUS website to see a list of available sponsorships or e-mail Amy Smith to learn how you can design a sponsorship to meet your company's unique marketing goals.
AT THE FCC
COMPTEL Files Comments with OMB on Paperwork Reduction Act Issues for Rural Call Completion Rules 
Last week, COMPTEL filed comments with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) issues related to the FCC's rural call completion rules. The FCC is seeking permission from OMB to collect a vast amount of data from telecommunications service providers on a quarterly basis for the purpose of "improving the FCC's ability to monitor the delivery of long-distance calls to rural areas [and] aiding enforcement action in connection with providers' call completion practices as necessary..."

In its comments, COMPTEL noted that the "FCC has failed to provide any, much less specific and objective, support for its estimate of the burden of complying with the new data collection, retention and reporting obligation." COMPTEL added that "the FCC has significantly underestimated the burden the new requirements will impose on covered providers."  To read the full comments, visit the COMPTEL website

FCC to Host December 18 Webinar on Database Container for Special Access Data Collection
On Thursday, December 18, from 11 a.m. to Noon ET, the FCC will host a public webinar designed to provide a walk-through of the recently released database container for the Special Access Data Collection. Bureau staff will discuss the procedures for creating and loading the database container and answer questions.

To participate in the webinar, please go to the Webex to register. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email message containing instructions for joining the event, the password and the link for the meeting.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS 
All COMPTEL Committee meetings are held at the association's headquarters, 1200 G St NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005, unless otherwise noted.  All times listed are Eastern. For more information, call 202-296-6650.

December 16   Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy

December 23   Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting 
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy
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