Telecom leaders, analysts debate IP transition regulations in Senate hearing

Source: 
Coverage Type: 

Industry executives and association leaders including Windstream's Jeff Gardner, COMPTEL's Jerry James, and National Cable and Telecommunications Association's Shirley Bloomfield joined analyst Larry Downes and Public Knowledge's Gigi Sohn to testify in front of the Senate Commerce Committee in a hearing -- the fourth in a series -- on the impending transition off the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) to IP technologies.

It was in every way a discussion about what's next for telecommunications. But the biggest issue lay in how much regulation, if any, should be created or revised as providers shift away from the PSTN. While several topics were on the table--technology transition, FCC governance, rural access to voice and Internet services, the cord-cutting trend, and call completion problems -- the question of maintaining competitiveness while continuing to both innovate and provide reliable services stayed at the forefront.


Telecom leaders, analysts debate IP transition regulations in Senate hearing