TIA Storming Hill, FCC, to Fend off Reclassification
TIA is turning to active messaging with key Washington players to fend off the FCC’s broadband reclassification proposal. Board members had multiple meetings with members of the Congress and the FCC this week, they said in a media briefing Thursday. TIA, representing equipment vendors and suppliers, is hopeful that Congress can come up with a solution this year, President Grant Seiffert told us.
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It’s possible a solution will be delivered this year, Seiffert told us. Board members had good meetings with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., Senate Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member John Ensign, R-Nev., and Phil Weiser, senior advisor to the director for Technology and Innovation at the National Economic Council, Seiffert said. “They certainly understand our position."
It’s a critical period to get the message out, Seiffert told us. Any regulatory uncertainty will have a direct impact on the companies TIA represents, he said. Dialogue is helpful, he said, saying efforts like the Verizon/Google proposal are a step in the right direction toward consensus and a possible solution to the uncertainty created by the Comcast decision. The equipment business is one of the few industries that are growing again after the recession, he said. “Things are good right now,” Seiffert said. “Do no harm.” Reclassification could hinder supplier investment, innovation, and then ultimately jobs in the country, said TIA Chairman Shawn Osborne, head of tech company Ulticom.
TIA members, as well as carriers and regulators, would support having an appropriate network mechanism where there are full transparency, non-discrimination, and the ability the manage the network, said Charles Kenmore, TIA Technical Committee chairman. “The key is, not using the ability to manage the network to do something more than that,” said Kenmore, CEO of Anda Networks. Prioritization is OK as long as there’s sufficient competition among the service providers, Seiffert said. TIA members look to provide more devices for consumers on a non-discriminatory basis, Kenmore said.