House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher noted Thursday the conspicuous absence of AT&T and Verizon from his hearing on competition in the cellular business, further complicating the effort to get the $7.2 billion broadband expansion program funded in the economic stimulus bill off the ground. Boucher is contemplating legislation making it easier for consumers to switch carriers without buying a new cell phone, and to guarantee that wireless internet traffic can freely roam on and off the networks of competing carriers.
Meanwhile, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz announced Wednesday at a conference of the Computer and Communications Industry Association in Washington, D.C. that his agency plans to take a bigger role in ensuring an open internet. We can only hope that these industry/agency battles don't create too much more delay in groundbreaking for the construction work funded by this appropriation.
Meanwhile, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz announced Wednesday at a conference of the Computer and Communications Industry Association in Washington, D.C. that his agency plans to take a bigger role in ensuring an open internet. We can only hope that these industry/agency battles don't create too much more delay in groundbreaking for the construction work funded by this appropriation.
