In The News

Telephone service providers who ignore the revenue streams flowing from existing voice services are missing out on a steady stream of money that can finance an all-IP network, Richard Shockey, chairman of the board of the SIP Forum told a telco-centric crowd at Genband’s Perspectives15 conference.

“People pay good money for PSTN,” Shockey pointed out.

ORLANDO, Fla.--A top executive from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) says that the regulatory system that governs the Internet does not need to be fixed and the FCC's net neutrality rules will put a damper on new investments.

Speaking during a morning panel session at Genband Perspectives 15, Scott Belcher, CEO of the TIA, said that after the FCC's previous attempt to regulate the Internet failed in 2010, service providers have made investments to improve speeds and the user experience.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the American Cable Association joined with other ISPs to seek a stay of the FCC's Title II reclassification order in the D.C. federal appeals court.

That came after the FCC last week denied requests by NCTA, ACA and the others to stay the June 12 effective date of the new open Internet rules until the court heard the underlying legal challenges.

It is actually only a partial stay request, since they are not challenging the bright-line rules against blocking, throttling or paid prioritization.

The opponents, led by USTelecom, AT&T and others, are seeking to stop the FCC from reclassifying the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the U.S. Communications Act.

Opponents of the Federal Communications Commission's plans to reclassify the Internet as a public utility under the U.S. Communications Act are asking a federal appeals court to halt the FCC's upcoming changes by issuing a stay or to expedite the review of the matter on behalf of the plaintiffs before the new rules are to take effect on June 12.

The Telecommunications Industry Association, representing the manufacturers and suppliers of communications networks, announced that the TIA Board of Directors has approved 12 companies and organizations as new members. Among those joining TIA are a mobile cloud computing company, telecommunications tower builders, cabling manufacturers, an emergency communications engineering and construction firm and a technology trade association serving 1,000 members in Northern Virginia. The new members are AESA Cortaillod, Affirmed Networks, Bennett and Pless, Consolidated Engineering, Convergent Conn

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has denied the requests of several broadband providers and trade groups asking the agency to delay its net neutrality rules.

As expected, the FCC has denied cable and telco requests for stays of its Feb. 26 decision to reclassify Internet access as a Title II service.

The announcement came late Friday, and followed the deadline for filing oppositions to those stay requests.

Protests over a controversial international trade agreement have taken on new urgency in recent days, after U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation that would give President Barack Obama’s administration broad authority to negotiate the deal.