Hill telecom talks consider targeted broadband bill

Over 30 statkeholders met on overhauling communications law and discussed whether there is room for targeted legislation to clarify broadband regulatory questions. The verdict: a bill is a long way off.

The parties discussed what powers the Federal Communications Commission has over broadband service providers and whether it has enough authority to implement the National Broadband Plan, its strategy for expanding Internet access, according to sources in the meeting. The participants also looked at what characteristics a possible net neutrality rule might have if targeted legislation were to be shaped, they said, but the usual disagreements on this remained intact.

Follow-up meetings are planned throughout July.

Attendees included:

• AT&T, Tim McKone
• Amazon, Emmett O'Keefe
• Center for Democracy and Technology, David Sohn
• CompTel, Jerry James
• Cisco, Jeff Campbell
• CTIA (wireless lobby), Jot Carpenter
• Communications Workers of America, Debbie Goldman
• Dish, David Goodfriend
• Google, Johanna Shelton
• Free Press, Derek Turner
• Free State Foundation, Randolph May
• Information Technology Industry Council, Dean Garfield
• Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Rob Atkinson
• Level 3, John Ray
• Media Access Project, Andy Schwartzman
• Microsoft, Paula Boyd
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Brian O'Hara
• National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, Brenda Pennington
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association, James Assey
• Open Internet Coalition, Markham Erickson
• Progress & Freedom Foundation, Dan Horowitz
• Phoenix Center, Larry Spiwak
• Public Knowledge, Ernesto Falcon
• Qwest, Melissa Newman
• RCA, Tim Donovan
• Telecommunications Industry Association, Grant Seiffert
• US Telecom, Walter McCormick
• Verizon, Peter Davidson