Connection MasterHead 600x113
Vol. 11, No. 6February 9, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
TOP OF THE NEWS
COMPTEL PLUS
OPEN INTERNET
AT THE FCC
COMPETITORS' RECEPTION
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
COMPTEL PLUS Early Bird Registation Ends Friday, February 13

Only a few days remain to take advantage of early bird discounts off registration for the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015. 

Register by Friday, February 13 and save off regular rates.

WELCOME 
NEW MEMBERS 




For more information about the benefits of joining COMPTEL, please email 
call 202-296-6650. 
MEMBER NEWS






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

March 6

March 9


April 6


May 18
SOCIALIZE WITH COMPTEL

 

@COMPTEL 

@COMPTELPLUS 

                          

Diamond Rio publicity shot

 
TOP OF THE NEWS
COMPTEL Gathers Top Policymakers, Lawmakers and Industry Leaders for February 24 Policy Summit 

Event to Feature Keynote by FCC Commissioner Clyburn and Conversation with Sen. Wicker (R-MS) 

COMPTEL is bringing together leaders from the FCC, Congress, advocacy organizations, service providers and edge companies, to address critical issues facing the communications industry during its Competition and Innovation Policy Summit, February 24 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. 

"This month marks 19 years since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law and ushered in an unprecedented age of innovation, investment and competition," said Chip Pickering, CEO of COMPTEL. "COMPTEL's Competition and Innovation Policy is our signature event designed to recognize and embrace competitive policies and provide a forum for policymakers, lawmakers and technology leaders to discuss the critical issues facing the communications industry." 

The Policy Summit will open with a one-on-one conversation between Pickering and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet. Sen. Wicker will discuss the current state of affairs in Congress and the issues taking priority with the committee. 

FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn will then deliver the keynote address at 10 a.m. 

The remainder of the policy summit will feature panel discussions, including: 
  • View from the 8th Floor: The State of Wireline Communications Today - FCC Wireline Legal Advisors Daniel Alvarez (Chairman Wheeler), Rebekah Goodheart (Commissioner Clyburn) and Travis Litman (Commissioner Rosenworcel) will talk about the current state of the wireline communications industry and the myriad issues facing the Commission. 
  • Open Internet: What's at Stake? - Abigail Slater, vice president of Legal and Regulatory Policy at the Internet Association; Joseph Cavender, vice president and assistant general counsel at Level 3; Sarah Morris, senior policy counsel for the New American Foundation's Open Technology Institute; Cathy Sloan, vice president of Government Relations for the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and Melanie Wyne, senior technology policy representative for the National Association of Realtors; will share their views on the benefits of, and rules necessary, to protect and promote an open Internet.
  • Industry Leader Roundtable: Competition, Innovation, and Deployment - Hear from Dave Schaeffer, CEO of Cogent; Kurt Van Wagenen, president and CEO of FirstLight Fiber; Milo Medin, vice president of Access Services for Google Fiber; and Michael Weidman, president and CEO of LS Networks; as they discuss why competitive markets continue to incent innovation and network deployment, as well as how major policy issues currently under examination can impact the market and customers, and what actions necessary to ensure continued growth of competition. 
  • Pending Mergers: Outlook and Implications? - As the FCC and Department of Justice continue to examine two substantial mergers, association leaders - including Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge; Genevieve Morelli, president of ITTA; Matt Polka, president of the American Cable Association; and Jill Canfield, vice president of legal and assistant general counsel for NTCA - will speak to the implications that these transactions would have on both consumers and businesses, and how they may impact ongoing proceedings at the Commission and issues facing Congress. 
All registered attendees also are invited to attend the Policy Summit's networking lunch, which offers the opportunity to continue conversations on these issues in a more informal setting. 

Register Now 
Space is limited for the Policy Summit, so register now to ensure you don't miss this event. For more information or to register, visit the website. For press registration, e-mail Gail Norris.
COMPTEL PLUS
AT&T to Lead General Session on Power of Wired and Wireless Solutions at COMPTEL PLUS

On Tuesday, April 14 at the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015, AT&T will sponsor a general session entitled "The Value Stack: Utilizing the Power of Wired and Wireless Solutions to Deliver Maximum Value to Your Customers."  Scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m., the session will look at the importance of being able to resell both wired and wireline solutions, and how to integrate these solutions through the AT&T Partner Exchange program. The session will be led by Jack Laskowitz, AT&T's director of Product Development, and Rick Reed, the company's senior marketing communications manager.

The Value Stack general session is open to all registered attendees. Register now and save.  Early bird rates end this Friday.
OPEN INTERNET
COMPTEL Commends Chairman's Open Internet Order
Last week FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated his draft Open Internet order, which he circulated and considered at the Commission's February 26 open meeting. He outlined the order in a Wired magazine op-ed, and the FCC provided a fact sheet with more details.

COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering released a statement on the draft order, thanking Chairman Wheeler for "his leadership in providing a light-touch policy framework that will be a solid legal foundation for rules that prohibit blocking, discrimination and paid prioritization. This policy framework has worked successfully in the wireless industry, resulting in billions of dollars of investment and thriving competition. Investment across the entire Internet ecosystem will continue under this approach, as COMPTEL has recently highlighted in the record. We believe the Chairman's draft Order will continue to promote and encourage broadband investment and competition, and our members that are building fiber to wireless towers, schools and libraries, and last-mile networks in their local communities, will benefit from the open Internet policy framework."

Pickering added: "We are encouraged that the Chairman's proposal recognizes that the open Internet and interconnection are interrelated. We also are pleased to hear that the proposal clarifies Commission jurisdiction and seeks to apply a strong legal standard when ISPs use their terminating monopolies to harm consumers. It is critical that the Chairman's Order does not allow last-mile interconnection to be used as a means by which ISPs can skirt the open Internet protections and limit consumers from obtaining the speeds for which they've paid. We believe that the Commission can prohibit, on a case-by-case basis, instances where interconnection practices are being used to harm consumers and the virtuous circle of innovation and investment in the Internet. COMPTEL continues to support an approach that allows edge and network providers to obtain interconnection without paying ISP-imposed access tolls, which will avoid creating a loophole that will undermine the rest of the protections in the Order. We commend the Chairman for his leadership and for listening to the American people, as well as the good work Commission staff has performed in drafting the Order for consideration."

FCC February Open Meeting
In addition to the Report and Order on Remand, Declaratory Ruling, and Order on Open Internet, the FCC at its February open meeting will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order addressing petitions filed by two municipal broadband providers asking that the Commission preempt provisions of state laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that restrict the abilities of communities to provide broadband service.

The open meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and will be streamed live at FCC.gov/live.
AT THE FCC
COMPTEL Responds to Tech Transitions NPRM and Windstream Petition for Declaratory Ruling
On February 5, COMPTEL filed comments related to the FCC's technology transitions Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Windstream's Petition for Declaratory ruling.  COMPTEL urged the FCC to adopt its tentative conclusion that "to receive authority to discontinue, reduce, or impair a legacy service that is used as a wholesale input by competitive providers, an incumbent LEC must commit to providing competitive carriers equivalent wholesale access on equivalent rates, terms, and conditions," as well as clarify and adopt specific criteria for implementing this standard."

COMPTEL noted that the FCC needs to "provide further clarification, at a minimum, on the presumption that the Section 214 process applies to wholesale input services, clarifying that approval is needed for the discontinuance of tariffed services, regardless of non-tariffed service offerings in existence; and confirming the application of the Section 214 process to term discount plans."

Additionally, COMPTEL discussed how direct access to the transmission medium (currently in the form of the home run copper loop) has fostered more affordable and innovative broadband service offerings. Accordingly, COMPTEL urged the FCC to require the incumbent retiring the copper loop to simultaneously provide direct access to an alternative transmission medium (e.g., dark fiber).   COMPTEL further discussed the need for the FCC to modify its rules pertaining to copper retirement to ensure timely and adequate notification and to encompass all situations where the ability to provide service will be impacted (such as replacement of the copper feeder).  Furthermore, the FCC should clarify that incumbents may not charge for special construction in lieu of performing sufficient maintenance on existing facilities.

COMPTEL supported Windstream's petition for declaratory ruling to confirm incumbent LECs duty to provide access to DS1 and DS3 capacity loops, on an unbundled basis, where impairment exists irrespective of the ongoing technology transitions.

COMPTEL Files Opposition to AT&T and Verizon Applications for Review of FCC Declaratory Ruling on Data Roaming
On February 4, COMPTEL filed its opposition to applications for review filed by AT&T and Verizon of an FCC declaratory ruling on data roaming.  COMPTEL argued that contrary to the assertions of AT&T and Verizon, the declaratory ruling did not effect a substantive change to the data roaming rule. Instead, COMPTEL noted, it is totally consistent with the rule and the Commission's Report and Order adopting the rule" and urged the Commission to deny the applications.

FCC Release Broadband Deployment Report
At the FCC's January Open Meeting, it adopted a new benchmark speed for broadband of 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up and found that broadband is not being timely deployed to all Americans.  Last week, the FCC released its Report and Notice of Inquiry (NOI), as well as a related International Broadband Comparison Report

Comments on the NOI are due March 6, with reply comments due April 6.
COMPETITORS' RECEPTION

Join COMPTEL Feb. 14 for the Competitors' Reception

As you may know, NARUC's Winter Committee Meetings are being held in Washington, D.C., February 15-18.  On Saturday, February 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., COMPTEL will be hosting a Competitors' Reception at the Renaissance Washington Hotel. Please note that the Competitors' Reception is not sponsored by NARUC, nor is it a part of the Winter Meeting agenda.

 

COMPTEL would like to thank its reception sponsors: CompSouth, Davis Wright Tremaine, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC,  HyperCube LLC, Kelly Drye & Warren LLP, KSFiberNet, Level 3, Midwest Association for Competitive Communications (MACC) and Windstream.

 

For more information about the Competitors' Reception, please email Karen Reidy or call 202-296-6650.
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.

February 10     Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy

February 17     Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting 
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy
© 2015. All Rights Reserved.