Businesses Seek Telecom Deregulation in New Mexico
New Mexico should deregulate telecom to spur broadband, said New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry CEO Jason Espinoza. In a guest column in the Albuquerque Journal, Espinoza supported state legislation (HB-57, SB-53) to deregulate telecom companies. The bills would…
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reduce filing requirements and provide expedited proceedings. Companies seeking deregulation would have to show effective competition on a wire-center basis, with separate determinations for residential and business services. For a wire center to be competitive, it would need to have at least two facilities-based competitors, including wireless or VoIP, operating in all or part of the wire center. Despite increased competition from wireless and VoIP services, regulations remain on landline service, Espinoza said. The bills would align New Mexico with 32 other states that adopted similar measures, while maintaining consumer protections and costing nothing to the state, he said. If it moves forward with the bills, it would join other states eyeing telecom deregulation (see 1703100041).