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  2. August 2017

August 2017

How Commissioner Carr Can Modernize The FCC

[Commentary] Commissioner Carr of the Federal Communications Commission should lead the drive to bring the FCC into the 21st century by adopting necessary and recognized reforms. Fortunately there is already a blueprint on the shelf created some 20 years ago by Democratic Chair Bill Kennard which proposed mirroring the Federal Trade Commission’s structure with greater focus on competition, consumer protection and economics. This common-sense plan is a natural part of the evolution of a telecom regulator, which by design should support the transition the market from monopoly to competition, not invent new things to regulate in an attempt to be relevant.

Over the years, the FCC has created tasks and functions for itself that are duplicative, if in not in conflict with many other government agencies.Reversing this trend won’t be easy, but reorienting the FCC’s mission around economics is a good first step that will help grow the economy, create jobs, and spur innovation. Carr should take the lead to modernize the agency.

[Roslyn Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Internet, Communications and Technology Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.]

How the End of Net Neutrality Could Affect Your Wallet

The debate surrounding the repeal of network neutrality has touched on everything from free speech to online innovation and consumer rights. But how will it affect consumers' wallets? The short answer: It depends.

Here's what the experts predict.
Your internet bill. If net neutrality is repealed, and Internet service providers take advantage of the relaxed regulations, some experts predict that you'll see changes to how your monthly internet bill looks and what it includes.
Content providers. Without net neutrality rules in place, some experts foresee content providers, such as Netflix, Hulu and other websites, needing to pay more to have their content travel via a "fast lane" in order to prevent slow loading times and other challenges. Those applications and websites may opt to pass those increased costs to customers.
Online research. For those websites and online applications that don't – or can't – pay for access to the "fast lane," it may be harder to access, load and use their sites.

Billboard ads target Republicans who want to roll back net neutrality

An advocacy group is launching an ad campaign targeting lawmakers who want to roll back the Federal Communications Commission’s network neutrality rules. Fight For The Future, a pro-net neutrality advocacy group, bought billboards in six states to target Sens John Thune (R-SD) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), as well as Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Reps Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tom Graves (R-GA). The billboards show the lawmakers’ faces with text criticizing their stance and urging the public to call their offices.

Verizon Next Generation Broadband Strategy: We’ll Pass on G.fast and Stick With FTTP

Verizon’s Director of Network Planning Vincent O’Byrne outlined a Verizon next generation broadband strategy. That strategy is heavily focused on NG-PON2. It apparently will not include G.fast. “We have no strategy for G.Fast,” O’Byrne replied when I asked him why Verizon was not using G.fast for their multidwelling unit (MDU) deployments. O’Byrne stressed the goal of taking fiber all the way to the living unit, even in MDU environments. O’Byrne cited a variety of factors for passing on G.fast in favor of a true fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) approach. Those reasons include poor copper network conditions across some of Verizon’s territory, as well as past copper broadband experiences in MDUs that Verizon does not want to repeat.

Verizon has been using VDSL and ethernet over copper to reach individual units in MDUs, when bringing fiber to its basement. They’ve run into considerable operational and interoperability challenges with this approach, O’Byrne noted. “We see ourselves in this same situation with G.fast five years from now,” O’Byrne explained.

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