Roy Neel, president of the United States Telephone Association, offered reporters last week what he believed to be a keen insight.
He recounted an anecdote about President Clinton’s Feb. 8 signing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. On the one hand, said the former aide to Vice President Gore, there was the surreal sense of the finality of it all. But Neel said he was brought back to earth when another telecom lobbyist remarked, “I wish they’d hurry up, I have to file against Ameritech at the FCC.”
That prompted Neel to say, “It’s never over in Washington,” and to predict that folks who didn’t get everything they wanted in telecom reform will try to regain lost ground in FCC proceedings to implement the legislation. He went on to say USTA will fight the interim LEC-CMRS interconnection plan at the agency.
… John Breaux, the button-down conservative Democratic senator from Louisiana, gave a lesson in Capitol Hill diplomacy at a recent telecommunications forum sponsored by Newsweek and Bell Atlantic. Breaux said he was honored to sit on a panel with the next chairman of the House telecommunications subcommittee. On one side of him was Rep. Mike Oxley (R-Ohio) and on the other, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.).
… Broadcasters perhaps think there’s a quid pro quo in the offing. Clean up the junk on the tube and President Clinton will make auctions go away.
… In the after-the-fact category, the Justice Department last week asked U.S. District Judge Harold Greene to drop the 1982 consent decree that broke up AT&T. Problem is, at least according to the seven regional Bells, Justice wants to keep all of the paperwork collected during the past decade. And the Bells reportedly don’t like that, feeling the competition could get ahold of sensitive information.
… Names mentioned to serve on the Telecommunications Development Fund that the telecom bill mandated: FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Craig McCaw and Warren Buffett. Word is the FCC is pushing Anthony Williams, former head of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities and now telecom investor, over telecom lawyer Tom Hart. Hart played a key role in getting TDF in the bill.
… Dan Phythyon will take over for top FCC lobbyist Judy Harris, while Don Gips readies to succeed Scott Harris atop the International Bureau.
… Ralph Haller, the forgotten deputy bureau chief of Wireless Telecom, is out of there June 8.
… Wynonna a no-show headliner at the CTIA bash this month? The momma-to-be is six-and-a-half months along. The trade group promises an equal blockbuster if the country star cancels.
