WASHINGTON-Wireless has always been regulated at the state level, so that sector should not be used as evidence of no state regulation, said James Bradford Ramsay, general counsel of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, after Dorothy Atwood, senior vice president for federal regulatory strategy for SBC Communications Inc., held wireless up as an example of why federal regulation works best.
Ramsay and Atwood debated whether telecommunications should be regulated at the state or federal level Friday morning at the 21st Annual Institute on Telecommunications Policy and Regulation sponsored by the Practicing Law Institute.
“When wireless penetration hits a certain number and people start to call to complain and politicians see this as an issue that resonates with the people, you will get regulation,” said Ramsay, noting that although 25 states have “taken wireless off the table,” he believes states will more rigorously regulate wireless.
The conversation centered mostly around the wireline local competition debate, but wireless was definitely a backdrop because incumbent wireline carriers are using the wireless argument of not wanting 50 different state regulations.
This issue is also a key factor in the emerging debate regarding voice over Internet Protocol.
The Federal Communications Commission held a public forum on VoIP Monday and interest in the topic continued at the PLI conference.
Rudolfo Baca, global strategist of the Precursor Group, said consumers don’t want to change their behavior so the reason that VoIP is starting to take off is that some operators are using phone-like equipment.
“My father, the cowboy, wants the phone to work. He doesn’t care if it is VoIP-ing, wireline-ing or by wireless. He just wants it to work,” said Baca.
