Telecompetitor

I moderated a panel today at the annual meeting of Associated Network Partners Inc. (ANPI), a Springfield, Illinois based aggregator of switched access and other telecom services. The panel focused on industry issues and trends and their implications for small independent telecom carriers. A provocative discussion point was offered by ANPI’s CEO, Dave Lewis, who suggested the independent telecom industry should take a hard look at ...

The Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee intends to take a look at the state of broadband competition in the U.S. According to BroadbandCensus.com, the subcommittee of the Judiciary committee intends “… to closely examine competition in the broadband industry in the year ahead.” From our vantage point, competition in the broadband industry is what it is. Where markets justify multiple broadband players, they compete ...

Verizon lost one at the FCC. Cable competitors brought a complaint against Verizon regarding some customer win back tactics being used by the phone giant. The complaint alleged that upon receiving a telephone number porting request to a cable competitor, Verizon would contact the customer in question and try to “win them back.” Cable companies claim such tactics were not only unfair, but illegal. The FCC ...

The FCC offered its opinion in the recent spat between cable MSOs and Verizon. Several cable companies lodged a formal complaint with the FCC claiming Verizon was illegally trying to stop customers from defecting to cable triple play offers. The complaint alleged that once Verizon got notice of a telephone number porting request, they aggressively pursued that customer with offers to keep them ...

The FCC has banned exclusive agreements with apartment building property owners and telecom carriers. These agreements have been common and basically allow a carrier to become the exclusive provider for telecom services in places like apartment buildings, providing a huge barrier to entry for competitors. The order also claims to rescind any existing exclusivity agreements. The FCC issued a similar order for cable television agreements back ...