IIA's Mehlman: Special access, copper retirement proposals will delay the IP transition

A Q&A with Internet Innovation Alliance co-chairman Bruce Mehlman.

The Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), an industry advocacy group, says that the Federal Communications Commission's recent Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking governing legacy copper and TDM-based networks to IP-based networks will cause more harm than benefit. Bruce Mehlman, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, said that what's troublesome about the regulator's proposals is that it's a step backwards. He said that competitive carriers should focus more of their attention on building their own network infrastructure versus trying to leverage existing facilities built by incumbent telecommunication companies. "There are folks that have had a decade of notice that if they wanted more advanced structure they needed to be part of the solution of building network infrastructure, but they chose business models that were based on riding investments that were made by other folks," said Mehlman. "Everybody's has been notice for over a decade."

Citing the move by Google Fiber to build out a new fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network infrastructure supporting 1 Gbps broadband and video services, Melhman added that "it seems like a mistake to offer a 'new wire, new rule' incentive to get all the investment you thought you would and then to say we're considering going to 'new wire, old rules.'"