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Vol. 11, No. 34
Sept. 8, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
TOP OF THE NEWS
COMPTEL PLUS
PREFERRED PARTNER
AT THE FCC
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
WELCOME
NEW MEMBER


MEMBER NEWS













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

September 15

September 30

September 25

September 30


October16

SOCIALIZE WITH COMPTEL

 

@COMPTEL 

@COMPTELPLUS 

                          

 
TOP OF THE NEWS 
COMPTEL Welcomes Chris Shipley as Policy Advisor
COMPTEL today welcomes Chris Shipley as attorney and policy advisor for the association.

In this role at COMPTEL, Chris will focus on wireless, universal service, disabilities access, media and competition issues. Before joining the association, he was an associate with LMI Advisors, advising clients in the satellite and wireless industries on regulatory issues related to experimental licensing and international market access. Prior to that, Chris completed a legal internship with telecom equipment manufacturer Harris Corp. and served as the legal fellow for Rep. Anna Eshoo, the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Chris graduated from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America with a J.D. in 2013 and also earned a certification from the Institute for Communications Law Studies. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2000, he served for three administrations as a policy analyst and grant administrator at the Arizona Governor's Office.
COMPTEL PLUS
Netflix to Host Opening Reception at COMPTEL PLUS 
The COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2015 Business Expo will be one like you've never experienced before. It'll kick off with a fabulous opening reception hosted by our premier partner Netflix.  Make plans to start your conference right - join us for the reception, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Expo Hall.

Register before September 18 to receive the discounted rate. And don't forget your hotel - rooms are going fast at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Book now!

See our full agenda online or follow us at #COMPTELFall15.
PREFERRED PARTNER
NEF Offers Discounts on Products and Consulting Services to COMPTEL Member Companies 

NEF to Host Network Planning Strategies Panel at COMPTEL PLUS

NEF, a leading data transport and data center professional services firm, announced that it will offer COMPTEL members' exclusive discounts on the NEF FiberLocator tool, the most up-to-date telecom network intelligence and maps platform currently available, as well as specialized consulting services. 

"As the data and connectivity needs of businesses and consumers increase exponentially, it is imperative that COMPTEL's member companies have accurate and detailed information in order to make important network investment decisions," said Alan Hill, COMPTEL's senior vice president for Strategic Business Development. "By working with NEF, COMPTEL is providing its members - particularly small and mid-sized companies - access to critical information and industry expertise." 

NEF's FiberLocator provides users with a full understanding of the fiber providers within a given area, between two points or at a single location. Comprised of data from hundreds of CLECs and facilities-based carriers, as well as hundreds of thousands of lit buildings and data centers, FiberLocator is the tool for network planners looking to quickly and easily secure the most up-to-date industry information. FiberLocator is available as a subscription-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) tool and an API, enabling users to overlay fiber data in their own internal systems.

"NEF is extremely excited to work with COMPTEL and its member companies," said Steve McCarthy, NEF's COO. "We fully understand the challenges and opportunities facing small and mid-sized carriers, and look forward to developing strong relationships with these companies to assist them as they expand their network footprints." 

NEF also will host a panel entitled "Fiber Infrastructure: Network Planning Strategies" on Tuesday, October 20, at the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2015 Business Expo. The session will focus on network planning strategies that can be employed when determining whether to invest in new network construction, or maximize the value of existing infrastructure to gain market share and reach. Whether it is an indefeasible right of use (IRU), fiber swap, real estate lease for a new data center or backhaul services - network planners need to understand all the options that may be available in a given market. 

COMPTEL members can visit NEF at booth #312 during COMPTEL PLUS.

If you have questions about NEF's special offer for COMPTEL members, email Marketing Coordinator Sarah Johnson or call 617-597-6799.
AT THE FCC 
COMPTEL Files Lifeline Comments
On August 31, COMPTEL filed its comments with the FCC regarding the its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the Lifeline program.

COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering applauded the FCC's efforts to update the Lifeline program to better serve low income Americans living in the digital age, saying that "job seeking without broadband access is like trying to breathe without lungs. The central goal of the Lifeline program - providing communications services to low-income Americans - has not changed since the program began. However, in order for the program to continue to meet this goal, it must evolve to the changes that have taken place in America's technological, education and employment environment."

He noted that the Lifeline program should take into account that consumers do not only need voice support, but they also need broadband support. The "homework gap" underscores how lack
of broadband access disadvantages students from low-income households.

"In addition to reforming the Lifeline program so that that low-income consumers are not excluded from the benefits of broadband and voice services," he said, "the FCC should reform the program so that competitive communications service providers are not excluded from the marketplace. Encouraging competition among communications service providers will ensure that the Lifeline program keeps a market driven sensibility and does not become antiquated but continuously responds to the changing needs of consumers."

COMPTEL Welcomes FCC Conversation to Unlock
Set Top Box, Free Consumers and Competition
On August 31, the FCC opened a public comment period following the publication of the Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) report. This is the beginning of a process that could lead to an end of forced leasing of cable set top boxes, opening the marketplace for increased video device competition.

"Chairman Tom Wheeler and the FCC continue to make consumers and competition the centerpiece of their agenda," said Chip Pickering, COMPTEL CEO and a member of the Consumer Video Choice Coalition. "The movement to free customers from the shackles of the cable set top box will open the door to consumer freedom and more competition."

He noted that "[d]ecades ago we ended the practice of forcing customers to lease a black rotary dial phone from Ma Bell. This opened new markets for choice and innovation. The archaic practice of forced leasing a set top box from the cable company is a hold over from a by gone era. As detailed in the report from Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, consumers spend an average of $231 per year to rent set top boxes-for a total of about $20 billion annually."

"The FCC comment period marks the beginning of an effort to bring creative competition to the video devise marketplace," Pickering added. "In an age where television consumers are cutting the cord and breaking the bundle, unlocking the box is an important step in the evolution of video and competition."

FCC Approves Verizon-Frontier Transaction
On September 2, the FCC approved the application of Verizon and Frontier Communications to transfer control of licenses held by Verizon's subsidiaries in California, Florida and Texas to Frontier.

To see the full order, visit the FCC website.

FCC Releases Tentative Agenda for Sept. 17 Meeting
The FCC announced the tentative agenda for its September open meeting. Topics include: 
  • Modernizing Contest Rules - The Commission will consider a Report and Order to provide broadcasters greater flexibility in their disclosure of contest terms. 
  • Submarine Cable Reliability - The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to require submarine cable licensees to report outages.
The open meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 17, at FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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.

September 15   Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy

September 22   Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting 
2 p.m.               Contact Karen Reidy
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