FCC Comr. Copps called on Commission to review competitive situat...

benefitted, prices have stabilized and complaints have dropped, he told reporters at media breakfast Tues. He said he planned to talk with Chmn. Powell and other commissioners about project to gather facts in aftermath of Sec. 271 approval and possibly develop “best practices.” Sec. 271 process is so important to telecom industry that agency shouldn’t just “let go” once it grants long distance entry to Bells, he said. Copps told reporters he also was very interested in upcoming Sec. 706 report, annual canvas of broadband buildout. FCC issued notice of inquiry in mid-2001 and report based on resulting data is expected to be released soon. Copps said he planned to “stress the urgency” of broadband deployment. On other issues, he emphasized value of pending ultra-wideband proceeding, saying Department of Defense concerns had to be taken seriously but “phased-in approach” was possible to ease some of those concerns. Copps said he hasn’t had as much success as he would like in convincing media companies to sign onto his ideas about adhering to code of conduct that would diminish incidence of indecency on airwaves. He said his mission for coming year would be to highlight companies that were “reaching for the stars” and criticize those that “plumb the depths” in their programming. Copps reiterated his disappointment that NBC had decided to accept liquor advertising but praised Disney company for its commitment to recording programming of its ABC radio stations. He has said he would like all radio stations to record their programs voluntarily so FCC could have record when indecency complaints arose.