Comptel Plus (Spring 2015) - Day 2 Show Daily

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COMPTELPLUS | Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Beka Publishing, 8
DAY 2
D espite the FCC’s approval of the
Open Internet Order earlier this year,
the issue still remains unsettled, as
partisan wrangling in Congress may
affect the outcome.
“Since the FCC approved its Open Internet Order
at its February Open Meeting on a party-line vote,
and now that the full text has been out for about
a month, there has been a lot of prognosticating
about what will happen next on several fronts: the
impact on the market, the business of ISPs and
potential lawsuits or legal reviews of the rules,” said
Chip Pickering, CEO of COMPTEL.
More than 4 million companies and individuals
filed comments supporting the Open Internet,
however some ISPs oppose the FCC’s order, believing
it overstepped its authority.
“The Commission took an historic step with this
order to promote and protect an Open Internet,” Pick-
ering said. “The order is vital to consumers and compa-
nies of all sizes who depend on the Internet to commu-
nicate, conduct business and serve their customers.
“More importantly, it’s a win for those who value
individual choice, free expression, competition and the
Internet-driven free market economy,” he continued,
calling the decision “a defeat” for companies that
want to “exert gatekeeper control over the Internet.”
Pickering said regardless of which side one
falls, having an open Internet always has been a
bipartisan issue. In fact, COMPTEL released a white
paper in March – available on the organization’s
website – that illustrates the long history of bipar-
tisan support for a free and Open Internet.
The white paper explains how a Republican-
led FCC originally established the principles that
consumers should be able to access the lawful
Internet content, applications and services of
their choice. In 2005, the FCC, under Republican
Chairman Kevin Martin, adopted and released the
original Internet Policy Statement.
“At that time, the Commission expressed the
belief that it could use its ancillary authority under
Title I of the Communications Act to enforce the
Internet Policy Statement and the principles artic-
ulated therein,” Pickering explained.
He said the FCC’s Internet Policy Statement
was supported by then President George W. Bush,
who in 2006 issued a Statement of Administration
Policy that expressed his administration’s belief
that the FCC had the authority to address poten-
tial abuses by Internet access service providers.
Pickering said that because Comcast and
Verizon appealed earlier rules that relied on Title
I and Section 706 authority, the FCC had “no
choice but to reclassify Internet access service
as a Title II service.” By doing that, the Commis-
sion “has clear and explicit authority to prohibit
abusive ISP practices such as blocking, discrimina-
tion, throttling and paid prioritization and be able
to quickly address consumer complaints and take
enforcement action as necessary.”
Having a complaint process ensures interconnec-
tion is not used to evade open Internet protections,
Pickering noted.
He saidCOMPTEL believes the FCC’s recently
approvedOpen InternetOrder took “a sound and wise
approach,” and one that will promote investment in the
Internet ecosystemwhile protecting consumers, busi-
nesses and competition.
However, opponents to the FCC’s order already
are looking for ways to litigate the order, and theU.S.
Supreme Court may need to weigh in on the matter.
In the meantime, several scenarios are in play in
Congress, Pickering added.
“Republicans are generally aligned in their opposition
to the FCC’s action onOpen Internet –not necessarily
that they oppose the open Internet protections them-
selves, but opposeTitle II classification,” he said.
In the Congress, three legislative initiatives are
being considered. One is a compromise House/
Senate draft bill that addresses the core principles
in the order of no blocking, throttling, paid priori-
tization and unreasonable discrimination. The bill
would embody the principles in law, but would deem
Internet service as an information service (Title I) and
restrict FCC rulemaking authority.
A second piece of legislation reintroduced the Internet
FreedomAct (H.R. 1212), which would block the FCC’s
rules and would prohibit the commission from reissuing
new net neutrality rules.
A third option would be a Joint Resolution under the
Congressional ReviewAct, which would not be initiated
until the rules are published in the Federal Register.
“This action could be taken to overturn the FCC’s rules
in their entirety, and has to go through both the House
and Senate and be signed by the President,” Pickering
explained. “This course would likely end in a veto since
PresidentObama has supported open Internet rules since
his 2008 campaign.”
Pickering said the only action that could change
the dynamics in Congress is if a court issues a stay
of these rules.
“But we don’t think that’s a likely scenario, since ISPs
have largely said they are abiding by these rules already
and there is no immediate harm,” Pickering said. ❏
Open Internet Order Still Faces Hurdles
By Bruce Christian
Nashville-based Equinox Information
Systems reported that First Communica-
tions, a technology solutions provider in
the Midwest, has licensed its Protector
fraud management solution (FMS) from Equinox.
First Communications and Equinox began a busi-
ness relationship 17 years ago when the former
implemented the latter’s solutions for call-detail
record (CDR) collection and reporting. In recent
years, it also selected and deployed Equinox’s Tele-
Link platform to mediate its usage data for delivery
to its billing system vendor.
When this latest business assurance project arose,
First Communications again turned to Equinox.
“Equinox values the established relationship we
have with First Communications and appreciates the
continued opportunity to assist them,” said DavidWest,
executive vice president of Equinox Information Systems.
“There’s no greater testament to the personal service and
reliable solutions we provide then when someone who is
already licensing our usage analytics system turns to us
for help in the fraud management arena.”
Protector is recognized among the industry’s most
reliable and affordable tools for combating telecom-
munications fraud. It is used by Equinox customers to
process hundreds of millions of call records per day
around the globe.
“First Communications values our long standing
relationship with Equinox.” said Abby Knowlton, vice
president of Carrier Relations of First Communica-
tions. “We look forward to their continued support
for data information services and tools.”
First Communications offers data networking,
voice and managed services throughout the Midwest.
Founded in 1998, it is based in Akron, Ohio, and
serves more than 35,000 customers.
Since 1986, Equinox has helped telecommu-
nication customers globally stop fraud, mediate
usage data, manage expense, and optimize revenue.
Protector saves carriers hundreds of millions of
dollars annually in fraud losses.
The company’s data mediation, fraud manage-
ment, revenue/expense management, routing assur-
ance, usage analytics, network analysis, and custom
application development solutions are currently
deployed in virtually every sector of the telecom
industry, including cable telephony, wireless, wireline,
rural independent, CLEC and wholesale providers. ❏
For more information, visit booth 614 or go to www.
First Communications Chooses
Equinox’s Protector