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COMPTELPLUS
|
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Beka Publishing,
www.bekapublishing.com10
DAY 2
F
or the first time in nearly a decade, COMPTEL
conducted a policy summit, and the results
has CEOChip Pickering optimistic the event
could become an annual affair.
The February Competition and Inno-
vation Policy Summit drew 200 attendees to
Washington, D.C., to hear from and discuss with
key members of Congress and FCC officials the
issues that interest the competitive telecommuni-
cations industry.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn delivered
they keynote address, during which she discussed
her support for Chairman Tom Wheeler’s competi-
tion agenda. Other prominent speakers included
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate
Commerce Subcommittee on Communications,
Technology, Innovation and the Internet, who
talked about technology priorities for the 114th
Congress; and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), ranking
Democrat on the House Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology, who discussed
the Open Internet and Communications Act
update efforts facing her committee.
“Our goal is to have more of these smaller, signa-
ture events throughout the year, so we can explore
issues in-depth and foster more robust conversations
about the future of competition and what steps must
be taken to ensure consumers and businesses around
the country can continue to benefit from the inno-
vative products and services our members deliver,”
Pickering said.
He added attendees left the summit impressed
with the caliber of the speakers and the depth of the
discussions regarding issues of the day.
“The first part of the event focused on a lot
of the traditional COMPTEL issues – such as
special access reform and the tech transitions,”
Pickering said. “We got a lot of insight from both
Commissioner Clyburn and the wireline advisors
for several commissioners about the Chairman’s
competitive agenda and the commitment to move
that agenda forward.”
One highlight was a panel featured top companies
and trade groups considering the impact of the FCC’s
actions on the Open Internet, which it decided just
two days later.
Another panel focused on how competitive
markets continue to incent more innovation and
greater investment in deploying broadband networks.
It delved into what the FCC and Congress need to do
to ensure Americans can continue to benefit from the
variety of network options fostered by competition.
The summit ended with an examination of the
potential impact of proposed mergers pending
before the FCC and Department of Justice –
including the Comcast-Time Warner Cable union,
which COMPTEL opposes.
“All the executives agreed that the proposed
merger should be denied as it poses a serious threat
to the environment of competition, innovation
and consumer choice that has driven our economy
forward in the Internet era,” Pickering said.
❏
COMPTEL February Summit to Pave
Way for Annual Policy Events
By Bruce Christian