Federal Regulators Should Reform Regulation of Phone Services in Denver, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Phoenix and Seattle
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission has an opportunity to promote competition for voice services in the Denver, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Phoenix and Seattle metropolitan areas by freeing the incumbent phone company from outmoded regulation which limits its ability to compete with wireless and Internet Protocol-enabled voice services provided by cable operators.
Qwest Corp., which is the incumbent phone company in each of the four metropolitan areas, is seeking regulatory relief pursuant to a process established by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
In comments filed today at the Federal Communications Commission, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Hance Haney urges the FCC to reject the arguments put forth by rivals who want the FCC to reject the Qwest petition.
“Qwest and other incumbent phone companies are under enormous competitive pressure,” according to Haney, “and if they are to ramain viable competeitors they must be able to adjust their rates and terms and bring new products and services to market without regulatory interference.”
View the comments here.
About the Technology & Democracy Project at the Discovery Institute:
Discovery Institute’s Technology and Democracy Project (http://www.discovery.org/technology/) provides expert analysis and commentary on technology and public policy issues. Led by program founder and renowned author George Gilder, the TDP is recognized as a national and international voice for free enterprise in the technology sector.
About Hance Haney:
Hance Haney is Director and a senior fellow of the Technology & Democracy Project at the Discovery Institute. He advised the chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications of the United States Senate during the deliberations leading to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He subsequently held various positions with the United States Telecom Association, U S WEST, Inc. and Qwest Communications.