Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog - Legal Archives tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2011-06-15:/blog/greg-galitzine//6 2009-02-19T20:31:33Z VoIP and IMS News and Views Keener on Obama's Broadband Stimulus tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2009:/blog/greg-galitzine//6.39843 2009-02-19T20:22:40Z 2009-02-19T20:31:33Z Writing about President Obama's signing of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," TMCnet columnist Barlow Keener does a good job parsing the bill for its broadband communications related passages, from who will be doling out the funds (NTIA, RUS) to... Greg Galitzine http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/ Writing about President Obama's signing of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," TMCnet columnist Barlow Keener does a good job parsing the bill for its broadband communications related passages, from who will be doling out the funds (NTIA, RUS) to what the requirements are for getting those funds (jobs creation, shovel readiness...), and so on.

Rural highway.jpg
 
One thing I found interesting was the provision in the Bill for so-called "net neutrality obligations" contained in the legislation:
 
Grants provided must be subject to NTIA-determined "non-discrimination and network interconnection obligations" which "at a minimum" must follow the FCC's non-discrimination policy. Grants may be provided for a wide range of equipment and services including education of broadband subscribers.
 
It's an informative piece, one which I highly recommend.
 
 
]]> Great Explanation of Universal Service Fund tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2008:/blog/greg-galitzine//6.38840 2008-12-19T13:54:12Z 2008-12-19T13:56:39Z Fred Goldstein, principal of Ionary Consulting (and a featured TMC columnist) has an excellent explanation of the Universal Service Fund (USF), with an insightful history of the fund as well as a good recounting of the many challenges associated with... Greg Galitzine http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/ Fred Goldstein, principal of Ionary Consulting (and a featured TMC columnist) has an excellent explanation of the Universal Service Fund (USF), with an insightful history of the fund as well as a good recounting of the many challenges associated with this "FCC boondoggle" as he calls it.
 
It's definitely worth the read. In these challenging economic times, it's interesting to see how this money is being spent and then judge whether or not it makes sense.]]> Martin to Comcast: You're Punished! tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2008:/blog/greg-galitzine//6.36786 2008-07-11T14:11:31Z 2008-07-11T14:16:24Z Looks like Kevin Martin is ready to drop the hammer on Comcast.    FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that he will recommend that Comcast -- the nation's largest cable company -- be penalized for violating the FCC's principles that are designed... Greg Galitzine http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/ Looks like Kevin Martin is ready to drop the hammer on Comcast.
 
 FCC Martin.jpg
 
 
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday that he will recommend that Comcast -- the nation's largest cable company -- be penalized for violating the FCC's principles that are designed to guarantee access to the Internet. This would be the first such penalty levied in defense of the agency's open access rules.
 
It's expected that the two democratic appointees to the Commission will side with Martin.
 
comcast_c2.jpg
 
The Washington Post is reporting the following corrective measures will be recommended:
  • Comcast will have to stop its practice of blocking
  • Comcast will need to provide details to the Commission on the extent and manner in which the practice was been used; and
  • Comcast will have to disclose to consumers details on future plans for managing its network going forward.
 

]]> FTC Escalates Intel Investigation tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2008:/blog/greg-galitzine//6.36346 2008-06-06T17:36:42Z 2008-06-06T17:39:27Z Greg Galitzine http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/  
According to published reports, Intel Corp. has been subpoenaed by the Federal Trade Commission.
 
This is regarded as the first step in escalating an informal inquiry to a formal antitrust investigation into its business practices.
 
Intel has apparently been working with the FTC on an informal inquiry since 2006.
 
Intel said so far it has provided "thousands of documents" to the FTC, and added that the subpoena will provide for documents from other sources.
 
Intel’s formal statement regarding the subpoena can be read here.
 
In the statement, Intel points out that, "The evidence that this industry is fiercely competitive and working is compelling," and indicated a 42 percent drop in microprocessor prices from 2000 to the end 2007.
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