FCC Commissioner Speaks at SUPERCOMM

ATLANTA, June 5 -- FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin led a session at SUPERCOMM this week on the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) recent ruling on unbundled network elements (UNE)and its impact on broadband deployment. Hosted by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a SUPERCOMM sponsor, the program included a panel of industry experts and emphasized new broadband technologies such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH).

Martin's keynote speech focused on the impact of the FCC's February 2003 decision to not apply the network "unbundling" rules to broadband access facilities. His opening remarks were followed by panel sessions on regulatory, technology deployment and financial issues related to the ruling.

The panel included Andre Fuetsch, vice president of network planning for SBC Communications; John White, executive director, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), Verizon; Peter Hill, vice president, technology planning and deployment, BellSouth; and Mary Retka, director, local network and technical regulatory team, Qwest. SBC, Verizon and BellSouth recently announced adoption of common technical requirements for FTTP technology used to connect homes and businesses to telecom networks and alerted telecom equipment manufacturers that they will soon be seeking proposals for equipment based on the common requirements.

The program was rounded out with a financial presentation from TMNG Strategy, a consulting firm that released a report in April 2003 concluding that the FCC ruling should result in more than 100 million fiber kilometers deployed in the US over the next 10 years. The presentation, led by TMNG president Steve Brodeur and associate Edward Naef, outlined different business cases to prove the viability of FTTH in light of the FCC UNE decision.

For more information, visit: www.tiaonline.org