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THE
INCOMPAS SHOW
I APRIL 10-13, 2016
www.bekapublishing.comDAY 2
THE
INCOMPAS
SHOW
R
ebranding can be a long, arduous and
difficult process. INCOMPAS began
its rebranding last October when it
announced its new name during the fall show in
San Francisco. So, six months later, what has
been the result of these efforts?
“Our members have embraced this change
wholeheartedly,” said INCOMPAS CEO Chip
Pickering. “They understand the changing nature
of our industry and see this evolution as a crucial
and important next step in communicating what
we stand for and who we represent.”
The association took the COMPTEL name
in 1985. It stood for the Competitive Telecom-
munications Association. But the world is very
different today.
“The technologies and platforms avail-
able for communications have evolved and
expanded exponentially since then,” Pickering
said. “So it seemed fitting that COMPTEL
update its brand to more effectively represent
the entire innovative and competitive commu-
nications industry.
“As INCOMPAS, the organization has
continued to fiercely advocate for competi-
tion and innovation that benefits the entire
communications marketplace, and provide
business-building education and networking
opportunities for our members and their part-
ners,” he said.
And Pickering vowed the organization will
continue to enhance and strengthen those
offerings. At the same time, it will continue to
expand its member base.
“We are confident that a bigger and more
diverse organization will benefit the entire
industry by strengthening the power of our voice
and extending our experience,” Pickering said.
“We remain vigilant in our belief that
that world-class communications networks
and services are best achieved through a
vibrant, competitive marketplace. We will
continue to fight for issues like non-discrim-
inatory last-mile access and IP interconnec-
tion that are critical to the success of core
members,” he added.
Even newer platform and content
providers, such as Google and Netflix,
benefit from the initiatives INCOMPAS
supports, so they also will benefit from
the same regulatory successes.
“Because they are well recognized in D.C.,
their support of INCOMPAS’ efforts can also
help increase visibility for those issues,” Pick-
ering said, noting that “everyone wins with a
broader membership base.”
The organization’s CEO added that INCOMPAS
remains committed to its educational and
networking resources for the core member base
– the companies that deliver voice telephony,
broadband, mobile and fixed wireless, wholesale,
backhaul, cloud services and other applications.
“Supporting those members’ business
growth and access to partners and customers
will remain a top priority,” Pickering said.
o
Rebranding a Fitting Change to Industry’s Evolution
T
his year is the 20th anniversary of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, and
the competitive telecommunications
industry has come a long way in the past
two decades. That bill marked the first major
revision to the original Communications Act,
which was passed back in the 1930s.
INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering, who
served as a staff member on the Senate
Commerce Committee, where he helped shape
the Telecommunications Act of 1996, speaks
with some authority regarding the progress that
has been made. He said the major accomplish-
ments of the measure have included:
• Opening the local markets for competition
• Interconnection of incumbent and compet-
itive networks
• Encouragement of broadband network
deployment
Pickering said passage of the Act is “a
clear demonstration of how a bipartisan effort
can lead to good policy making that benefits
the American people. We need to get back
to that as a nation – both parties working
together to accomplish good.”
Still, some provisions of the Act have not
worked out as well as those who crafted it
would have hoped.
“There are particular sections that have
not been fulfilled,” Pickering said, specifically
citing Section 629 – the availability of competi-
tive set-top boxes is one example.
“As a result, consumers have suffered,”
he said. “The cost of renting a set top-box
has increased 185 percent since 1994.
By contrast, the price for televisions and
computers has dropped by 90 percent.”
This is an area the Federal Communica-
tions Commission is addressing, however, and
Pickering said INCOMPAS supports the effort.
“The FCC’s plan is simple: Allow
consumers to purchase their own video device
from numerous retail outlets at costs lower
than the monopoly rental rate – which costs
families $231 per household on average annu-
ally,” Pickering explained.
“Consumers also would have easier access
to over-the-top and streaming programming
currently blocked by most cable set top boxes,”
he continued. “That means consumers who
want to binge watch their favorite streaming
shows would no longer need to switch between
program guides, remote controls or devices.”
The FCC’s proposal would give
consumers multiple opportunities to
discover new content from independent
programmers that have been unable to get
carriage on pay-TV channel line-ups.
“Independent programmers could offer
this content directly to consumers,” Pick-
ering explained. “The new rules would allow
consumers more access to over-the-top
programming than with traditional cable
services, and they would enjoy better
viewing experiences.”
o
Telecommunications Act
Celebrates 20 Years