According to sources, the Tuesday meeting between FCC
Chief of Staff Ed Lazarus and representatives of the cable and telco
industries about a broadband regulatory authority bill was followed up by one Wednesday among
the major stakeholder representatives on both sides of the debate who
have been meeting regularly with top commission staffers.
But a source says that does not mean a legislative
solution is imminent. Another source familiar with the talks suggested
he did not see a lot of movement toward a consensus.
No ex parte had been filed at press time, but the
meeting, which was confirmed on background by various parties, was said
to have included James Cicconi of AT&T and Kyle McSlarrow of the
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (the two
who were in the Tuesday meeting);Tom Tauke
of Verizon; Richard Whitt of Google; Christopher
Libertelli of Skype Communications; and Markham Erickson. The FCC is
trying to get stakeholders together on a targeted bill that would
clarify its regulatory authority, while on a paralell track
proposing to clarify it on its own initiative with a declaratory ruling
that broadband transmissions are subject to some Title II common
carrier regulations.
Currently broadand, content and transmission elements,
are classified under the more lightly regulated information service
regulatory category per the FCC's 2002 determination, upheld by the
Supreme Court in the Brand X case.
