2004

Talking to South Africa's Regulators Marlon Schafer
[December 13, 2004] One WISP CEO and consultant writes about a unique oppotunity to shape wireless Internet industry regulation on another continent.

Tauzin Concedes Alex Goldman
[December 8, 2004] Billy Tauzin III, former lobbyist for BellSouth and son of the co-author of the notorious Tauzin-Dingell bill, has conceded in a runoff election for a house seat in Louisiana, but ISPs must remain vigilant.

FISPA Warns ISPs About BOC Filings ISP-Planet Staff
[November 23, 2004] FISPA has joined the chorus of organizations warning ISPs that petitions submitted by the Bells could permanently drive ISPs out of broadband.

Your Free Washington Bureau For ISP Advocacy Alex Goldman
[November 16, 2004] Can two people make a difference? They're determined to try. They don't want your money—they want you to write to the FCC.

VoIP Battleground in RBOC Monopoly War Alex Goldman
[September 17, 2004] The Bells have mostly succeeded in closing their networks to ISPs. The next step in the monopoly war is being fought right now, as the Bells seek the right to close their networks to all non-Bell applications.

DSL Prime Editorial: Jeff Pulver's FCC Dave Burstein
[August 26, 2004] Imagine what regulation would be like if the regulators had actual industry experience—or if they were veteran visionaries who understood not just the present but the potential of the future as well.

DSL Prime: If You Care, Show It Dave Burstein
[August 20, 2004] Small businesses across the nation must act now to stand up for their rights. Activism is easy! You can do it all online. Call this 21st century citizenship clicktivism.

The Bottom Line is Competition Best of ISP-Lists
[July 26, 2004] As lawmakers prepare to rewrite the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (see the definition of the word CLEC) basic arguments about the history and future of telecommunications have immediate impact.

End E-Rate Now Dave Hughes
[July 23, 2004] A wireless industry pioneer says that the E-Rate should be seen as a system fraught with fraud and a secret subsidy for phone companies. The FCC should be investigating the E-Rate, not trying to cover up its flaws.

DSL Prime: The FCC Commissioners Dave Burstein
[July 19, 2004] Two FCC commissioners are fighting for their jobs. DSL Prime expects one will stay and two will go.

Simplifying Telecom Law Alex Goldman
[July 9, 2004] One lawyer lays out simple guiding principles that could be used to untangle the thicket of rules and regulations that govern telecommunications.

It's Time to Log on to the FCC Dave Hughes
[July 2, 2004] A wireless industry veteran and pioneer calls on fellow WISPs to file comments with the FCC. "You don't have to hire a lawyer, or go to Washington. Just e-file!" If you're in the office this weekend, now's the perfect time.

Editorial: Defining a National Alliance Alex Goldman
[June 4, 2004] The nascent National Internet Alliance is advocacy the way the small ISPs should have always done it. But the alliance must be lead by its feet, or it will never get off the ground.

DSL Prime: All Eyes on SBC Dave Burstein
[May 19, 2004] As SBC prepares to change CEOs and a strike becomes imminent, DSL Prime predicts the business strategy of the likely successor. But who will call SBC on all its lies?

Wireless Broadband on the TV Airwaves Eric Griffith
[May 18, 2004] A new FCC proposal says frequencies generally reserved for television broadcasts may soon be used for wireless data services, and the Commission is holding a hearing tomorrow.

D.C. Deadlock Continues As Crucial Telecom Deadline Expires Alex Goldman
[May 17, 2004] A D.C. Circuit Court ruling made in March is causing a crisis now. As the FCC, the court, the White House, and major Internet companies angrily trade blame, we approach a period of literal telecom lawlessness.

EarthLink Battles Bells, MSOs in Senate Roy Mark
[May 14, 2004] Nation's second largest ISP tells Congress it should focus on enforcing current law, while incumbent providers Verizon and Comcast lobby for changes in their favor.

Book Review: Database Nation Alex Goldman
[May 6, 2004] How much of you do you own? Individuals do not control the use of their name, address, phone number, or even DNA. As concerns about privacy spread, O'Reilly's primer on the subject, written by Simson Garfinkel, repays rereading.

CompTel/Ascent Challenges SBC Secrecy H. Russell Frisby
[May 5, 2004] In an open letter to the FCC, a pro-CLEC and pro-competition lobbyist asks what SBC is trying to hide.

How to Talk to the FCC Marlon Schafer
[April 27, 2004] So, you've been in business long enough to know what rules you like and what rules you don't. It's time to talk to the government.

How I Talked to the FCC Marlon Schafer
[April 27, 2004] Here's how I made the connections that led to my first FCC meeting.

Big Plans for Small ISPs in North Carolina Alex Goldman
[April 22, 2004] A group of ISPs has found a way around the rules that the BOCs wrote specifically to keep them out of the broadband game.

Opinion: Godzilla vs. Bambi on the ISP Planet Larry Summers
[March 26, 2004] One ISP operator was angry enough to sit down and write about what's really going on in the United States.

USTA v. FCC: A Decision Ripe for the Supremes Fred R. Goldstein and Jonathan S. Marashlian
[March 25, 2004] Two legal experts eviscerate the recent DC Circuit Court ruling in favor of the RBOC trade lobby in its lawsuit against the FCC's anti-monopoly policies.

A Carriers' Anti-Spam Coalition Alex Goldman
[March 11, 2004] Openwave, MTA provider to the carriers, is building an anti-spam working group for ISPs, starting with large carriers.

Nomadix's Hotspot Patent, Revisited Alex Goldman
[March 9, 2004] It can be difficult to understand the meaning and import of any individual patent, as this discussion of Nomadix's patent shows.

Competitors React to Circuit Court Decision Alex Goldman
[March 4, 2004] A recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court showed that the only certainty in telecommunications regulation is a continuing litigation bonanza.

ISPs Can Breathe Easy in 2004 Max Smetannikov
[Febraury 2, 2004] The year of the monkey will not see an introduction of Internet access tax, VoIP tax, UNE-P overhaul, or any other legislation that would impact ISPs or CLECs, say industry insiders—but brace for more regulatory changes and taxes in 2005.

A Broad Patent for Hotspots Alex Goldman
[January 27, 2004] Last week, Nomadix announced that it has been awarded a patent covering key aspects of revenue generation at hotspots. We asked Nomadix's co-founder and CTO how the company plans to use its new power.

DSL Prime Editorial: Billions at Stake Dave Burstein
[January 5, 2004] Of course no game played in Washington, D.C. is penny ante, but the dollars at stake in VoIP regulation mean that in 2004, political decisions will affect the fortunes of several of the nation's largest companies.