Peter : On Rad's Radar?
Peter
| Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. talking telecom, Cloud, VoIP, CLEC, and The Channel.

FCC

The FCC Open Internet Order is Out!

March 12, 2015

Opinions on the FCC Net Neutrality Ruling

March 9, 2015

Lots of opinions out there on the FCC Net Neutrality ruling, including this collection from Channel Vision.

Backing up, the FCC wrote a blog explaining their process from comments to rule-making. You can read it here. they had 4 million comments (largely due to John Oliver)

After 4 Million Comments, Open Internet Order Passes

February 26, 2015

There were 4 million public comments on the Open Internet / Net Neutrality docket (#14-28) at the FCC. Sure, most probably just said I hate Comcast/VZ/Frontier/AT&T/TWC/Cablevision but still, that is a showcase of taxpayers getting involved in an issue. Sure, one that most don't understand at all. Sure, they call it ObamaNet and condemn it because "It was Obama's plan to take over the Internet", but it is a 300 page order that has NOT been published yet.

At the FCC

February 24, 2015

While a lot is happening at the FCC, I haven't written much about it. My focus has been elsewhere - and most readers couldn't care less about regulatory. That said the USF Reform is still going on, including E-Rate program changes, Rural Broadband experiments, and CAF funding fights (between WISPs and ILECs). The AWS-3 spectrum auction had 4 big winners: VZW, ATT, DISH and the FCC coffers to the tune of $40 billion.

The RBOCs: Copper, Spectrum, Regulation and Sales

February 3, 2015

We have just 2 RBOCs - regional Bell companies left - AT&T and Verizon. You might consider CenturyLink an RBOC (because of US West), but since they don't have the same business model as the other 2, I just mean the two Bell-head companies with their Jekyll cellular side.

Both have been running from wireline for a while -- since maybe 2006. I think they wanted forbearance to get rid of unions and that copper plant.

The New Broadband Definition

February 3, 2015

We know that Obama and the Comcast CEO are golfing buddies, but I didn't see it coming that in one fell swoop cable would become the sole broadband provider for America. The FCC adopted a new definition of broadband at its January meeting, raising benchmark speeds to 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload, from the current 4 Mbps/1 Mbps standard. Effectively DSL is no longer broadband.

This will mean less CAF and USF monies to telcos, since they don't offer broadband any longer.

The FCC's 10MB Problem

January 7, 2015

The FCC in December raised the broadband speed target to 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. That re-definition of broadband will redraw the broadband map in the US. (It will knock out some ISPs that offer ADSL (version 1) and some older fixed wireless systems that were okay under the 4 Mbps definition.

The re-definition comes amid the commission's revision of the Connect America Fund (CAF) which is part of the rural broadband program, which is part of the USF program.

The Year That Was a Mess

December 24, 2014

We have a huge Net Neutrality debate, Open Internet fights (especially between Netflix and ISPs) and peering duels (between ISPs and backbones, notice the pattern?). Why? Lack of broadband competition.

Big mergers still in play: AT&T buying DirecTV to keep up on TV; and Comcast in a three way with Charter over TWC.

2 Items About Open Internet

December 3, 2014

Like Global Warming is a lousy label for Climate Change, Net Neutrality is a lousy label for Open Internet. But then Open Internet is not so great either. However, the reality remains that the general public -- and denizens of the telecom industry -- glaze over when anyone talks politics -- even if it means a danger to their own job! Sad really, which is why I have shied away from talking politics for months.

Batteries Not Included

November 20, 2014

One of the hurdles for the TDM-to-IP Transition is the power outage. With POTS lines, the dial-tone is powered from the central office, so even with a blackout for a while the consumers can still dial 911.

With VoIP, notsomuch - the broadband modem has to have battery backup, the ATA has to have battery backup and the provider has to have battery backup at the POP. That's a lot of batteries!

Featured Events