Wireless Wave: You mentioned the subscriber numbers and how much they’ve increased since the mid ’90s… If you look at how widely accepted wireless is by consumers and the unique qualities it possesses, how and where does it fit into the current legislative discussions?
CP: We want to make sure that we have the right spectrum policy and part of the IP
reform is to have a digital transition, so we’ll be making new spectrum available that was part of the broadcaster analog spectrum. One of the accomplishments in the last year was to set up a spectrum relocation fund, so we can more effectively manage spectrum and compensate those companies or government entities that relocate so their spectrum can be used more efficiently. I also think that it’s important with an IP-bill that we do not have unnecessary state and local regulation that poses as a barrier to entry or unnecessary burden on the expansion, innovation, and investment of wireless technologies and applications in broadband capabilities as you deploy these new services across the country, especially in rural areas.
Wireless Wave: With the communications technology advancing as rapidly as it is,
what kind of considerations should Congress give future technological advancements in formulating perspective telecom policy?
CP: To accommodate future technological advancements, we should follow simple principles that we do not mandate any technologies and that whatever policy we adopt in legislation is technologically neutral. It shouldn’t favor one technology or application over another. However, Congress should consider the competitiveness of markets when establishing future regulatory policy. Another guiding principle
should be that we should be legislatively neutral in how we treat networks and how you communicate and access content. We also need to make sure networks remain interconnected and interoperable. Combine all of that with preemption and the establishment of federal jurisdiction, and I think those are the basic principles that give us a positive framework for telecom policy, whether it’s wireless, wireline, IP-based or any other form of communications technology.
