FCC's Kevin Martin Warns of Threat to Local Access Rules

The battle to preserve local competition is more tenuous today than it was last year,
said FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin in a video taped presentation for the Comptel-Ascent Alliance Convention in Anaheim, California. (Martin had been scheduled as a keynote speaker for the event but had to return to Washington urgently to prepare for congressional hearings on the Janet Jackson Superbowl affair). Last year, the battle to preserve local competition culminated in the Triennial Review Order, which Martin defended as being in the best interest of consumers. He credited UNE-p for the creation of tens of thousands of industry jobs and for savings consumers billions of dollars in telephone costs. Nevertheless, Martin conceded that the Triennial Review Order, as it relates to local access, is likely to be overturned in the coming weeks by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Martin believes the FCC should defend the Triennial Review Order ruling through the appellate process and to the Supreme Court if necessary. He said he is hopeful that the other two commissioners who joined him on the majority vote for this decision will support an appeal should the court overturn the order. Martin also warned of a growing consensus in Washington toward a broad rewriting of the Telecom Act of 1996. Members of the Comptel-Ascent Alliance, which represents the interests of CLECs, were told to let their voices to be heard in Washington.


The FCC will address VoIP issues in its General Meeting scheduled for this week. http://www.convergedigest.com/regulatory/regulatory.asp?category=Regulatory