TIA President Grant Seiffert moderated a lunchtime executive panel on regulation, innovation and competitiveness today at GLOBECOM 2007, an Institute of Electrical and Eelectronics Engineers (IEEE) conference, here in Washington, featuring leading policy executives from top communications industry companies.  GLOBECOM 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of the annual IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference with an innovation and education-themed expo and symposium this week.

Discussing the top regulatory concerns of the day with Seiffert were Greg Farmer, Senior Vice President, Global Government Relations and International Trade, Nortel; Jake MacLeod, PVP & CTO, Engineering and Technology, Bechtel Communications; and Timothy J. Regan, Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Corning.

The panel discussed the most important legislative or regulatory initiatives currently pending in Washington, the proper role of the government in setting U.S. competitiveness standards, key drivers for innovation and investment, and the tension between cost concerns and long-term research and development needs.

For more information on TIA and its members policy advocacy, please contact Ian Martinez at imartinez@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7723.

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TIA's policy team continues its international advocacy and coordination efforts through the next few weeks, as activity remains high in several key areas of global interest.   Several events will mark the year's end for TIA's policy team.

TIA will continue to represent the U.S. telecom industry as chair of the telecom subgroup of the U.S.-India ICT Dialogue at a new round of talks December 14 in New Delhi, India.  While several important regulatory issues, including spectrum and licensing matters, remain unresolved, the tenor of the talks will be upbeat after several concensus decisions that have emerged from previous Dialogues.  These include India's decision to increase the ceiling on foreign direct investment in the telecom sector and its resolution of a conflict on remote access rules for repairs from outside India.

The U.S.-India ICT Dialogue was announced by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, 2005, during Dr. Singh’s state visit to the United States. The objectives of the ICT Dialogue are to (1) support the goals of the broader U.S.-India Economic Dialogue; (2) facilitate better coordination of bilateral discussions and activities; (3) solicit the support of private-sector stakeholders; and (4) complement the work of the existing High-Technology Cooperation Group and the Cybersecurity Forum.

For more information on TIA's work as chair of the telecom subgroup of the U.S.-India ICT Dialogue, contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7725.

On November 29, TIA will host a delegation of representatives from the Colombian communications industry interested in meeting and working with members of the U.S. vendor community. a U.S. Trade and Development Agency funded trip on U.S. Regulatory Policies and Standards.  The Colombian delegation, which will include Colombian Senator Jorge Pedraza, Vice-Minister of Communications Daniel Medina and representatives from the Colombian TV and telecom sector.

The Colombia event is one part of TIA's broader efforts to improve business and political ties with a valuable and growing ICT market, particularly crafting DTV and 3G standards.  TIA is also committed to seeing that the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement negotiated this year is passed by Congress to benefit manufacturers, workers and consumers in both countries.

Any TIA member companies wishing to meet with the Colombia delegation should contact Tom Shull at tshull@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7014.

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The FCC issued its second report and order and notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on an amendment to its rules governing hearing aid-compatible (HAC) mobile handsets this week.  TIA is monitoring the NPRM and related filings as part of its broader efforts to make communications technology more accessible to the disabled community. 

The NPRM seeks comment on the proposed rule changes put forth in the recent Joint Consensus Plan, including increasing the number of T3-or-better phones Tier I carriers must make available; requiring manufacturers to offer 33 percent of wireless phones at the M3-or-better level; requiring each manufacturer not subject to the de minimis exception to produce at least two or more T3-or-better handsets; providing Tier I carriers with an alternative to the 50 percent rule for M-rated phones; and the recommendation that service providers and manufacturers report regularly on the availability of products under updated criteria for information submissions.  

It also seeks comment on how to improve in-store testing and the availability of public information regarding HAC handsets; how to improve the quality and usefulness of the information reported in the wireless industry’s compliance reports; enhancements to existing wireless technologies as well as hearing aid labeling and related issues; emerging issues, including those arising from the development of wireless voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) applications and “open platform” networks.  It also proposes a further review of HAC rules in 2010.

The order also stays enforcement of HAC requirements from February 18, 2008, to April 18, 2008.

For more information or to comment on TIA's involvement with this NPRM, please contact Becky Schwartz at rschwartz@tiaonline.org or 703.907.7477.

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TIA applauded the passage of two key bills in Congress just before Thanksgiving recess that if enacted will augment the U.S. communications infrastructure.   These bills will improve emergency 911 access by making IP-based voice services safer, and will also direct the collection of data regarding the types and extent of broadband access nationwide, complementing industry efforts to see broadband deployed universally across the country.

TIA applauded H.R. 3403, the 911 Modernization and Safety Act of 2007, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week, calling the bill an important step in harmonizing the U.S. public safety network.  “TIA commends the efforts by Representative Gordon and his colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee that resulted in bill that will improve the ability to access emergency communications systems by VoIP customers, " said TIA President Grant Seiffert.

H.R. 3403, sponsored by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), is a significant step toward making America's IP-based services first-responder friendly.  "Not only does this legislation facilitate the transition to a national IP-based first responder network," Seiffert said, "but it allows for that transition no matter what type of communications technology is being usedby a person in need of emergency assistance."

TIA also praised the passageof H.R. 3919, the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007.  "We congratulate the bipartisan leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for coming together to make the necessary changes to allow this bill to move swiftly and with overwhelming support," said Seiffert.  "This bill will demonstrably improve the ability of consumers, industry members and policymakers to make decisions that will help increase broadband deployment and subscription rates."

TIA believes the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007 gives local, state and federal governments a useful tool to empower market forces and facilitate broadband deployment.  "With passage of this bill, we will soon have the tools to generate a comprehensive, accurate map of the nation's broadband infrastructure and states will have a mechanism to take a more active role in the planning of broadband investment," Seiffert said.  "The success of similar programs like ConnectKentucky clearly demonstrates that these tools can yield very positive results for broadband consumers in rural and underserved areas."

TIA looks forward to final action and enactment of legislation to address these critical issues.

For information on TIA's legislative efforts please contact Carolyn Holmes Lee at clee@tiaonline.org or 703.907.7790.

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TIA sent a letter last week to Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration Chris Padilla, thanking him for his ongoing work on bilateral commercial matters with China.  TIA holds that China is an important and complex market for the communications and IT industry.  The work of the United States Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce is invaluable as our trade and investment relationship with China continues to evolve.

The letter addressed a number of areas of particular importance to TIA members as the Commerce Department prepares for the upcoming meetings of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

Third-Generation (3G) Mobile Licenses: 
The Chinese government has been supporting the TD-SCDMA standard for third-generation mobile (3G) services, funding its development and pushing it into the market despite a lack of commercial demand.  TIA supports the U.S. government's long-standing policy of technology neutrality regarding technical standards.   While China has voiced support for more technology-neutral alternatives and approved the use of global wireless standards WCDMA and CDMA2000® in May, it made no indication of when licenses will be issued or how many will be awarded, and recent press reports indicate that 3G licenses won't be issued until well in to 2008.

Mobile Handsets: 
TIA remains concerned that 3G-capable handsets are not permitted to be imported into China.  There is a wide range of functionality across handsets and it is difficult to say precisely what is "3G" since embedded features can be turned off or on at the request of the service provider.  TIA also continues to be concerned with the prohibition on WiFi-enabled handsets in China.

Optical Fiber Market Access: 
TIA supports the efforts of the optical fiber industry to secure a commitment from China to increase its imports of optical fiber. U.S. share in the Chinese industry has declined 50 percent as a result of policies and practices that exclude imports from non-Chinese sources.

Product Testing and Certification: 
The product testing and certification process in China is significantly more difficult than in other markets, which increases the cost of imports.  China has also opted out of the CB scheme for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, with the result that such testing must be done in-country, another expensive proposition. EMC requirements emerged out of a collective international effort and most of the world participates in the EMC component of the CB scheme and accepts CB scheme test reports generated by other participating members.

For information on TIA's work in the China market, please contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or +1.703-907-7725.

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