Results of today’s races for governor are just as likely to influence telecom policy as are those for narrowly divided Senate, telecom analysts said Mon. Since many don’t see significant telecom legislation working its way through Congress in upcoming 108th session, work of state PUCs is just as likely to have impact on telecom policy, we're told. “Unless there is some kind of consensus, it’s difficult for a split Congress to move,” said Blair Levin of Legg Mason. “Everyone agrees that there’s a problem in the telecom industry, but there’s no consensus as to the nature of the problem.” Yet analysts said much depended on how FCC acted on several proceedings before it.
When Comcast rolls out Voice-over-IP service in Philadelphia next year, as company has said it will do, many in telecom industry and at FCC will be waiting to see how much market share VoIP takes from traditional telephone business. Although no proceeding is teed up on issue at FCC, some among Commission’s staff are thinking about how that new service will be regulated, given that industry analysts predict VoIP eventually will compete and perhaps even overtake circuit-switched telephony delivered by CLECs. Technical issues aside, Comr. Abernathy last week laid out principles of new services doctrine she believes should include light regulatory touch, at least in beginning, while services such as VoIP remain immature competitors (CD Aug 20 p2).