Powell Called VoIP Promoter

“Powell has been an unabashed advocate of VoIP services,” said PointOne Vp-Regulatory & Govt. Affairs Staci Pies. Pulver.com CEO Jeff Pulver gave Powell credit for trying “to create a regulatory environment that will simultaneously promote innovations and competition for new communications applications and services and allow for broadband deployment and network upgrades to support new technology and services.” Sprint said it was “the strong and steady leadership” of Powell that positioned the FCC to address VoIP regulation and changes to the Universal Service Fund during the coming months.

Industry officials said they hoped that Powell’s successor would embrace his philosophy of approaching VoIP and fulfill the vision of IP services that Powell had laid out during his tenure. “We trust [Powell’s] successor will build further on the concepts of consumer empowerment and net neutrality to ensure that every consumer has access to a broadband pipe and the freedom to maximize the functionality and value of the Internet and advanced communications,” Pulver said. Pies said she hoped that like Powell, his replacement would recognize “the positive social and economic benefits of IP services.” She noted that such benefits could be reaped only “if the nominee is willing to take on the political battle of reforming the universal service subsidy system so that the compensation structure can be reformed. Such actions will take a fairly brave and aggressive person to implement fully.”

Powell’s departure could have a “very significant impact” on VoIP, Pies said. “He has been one of the strongest proponents of VoIP and he has been willing to take the political heat,” she said: “It’s not clear whether other replacements would be willing to take that heat.” Pies said the biggest issue with VoIP was compensation and “any change on that issue will have a very significant impact on VoIP providers and what they pay to incumbents. Hopefully, a new chairman will take a strong position on those issues.” She said the departure would probably have minimal impact on VoIP social policy issues: “Most nominees are on the same page with Powell on 911 and other social policy issues, so we don’t expect any significant changes on that.”

Legg Mason said in a report “whoever his [Powell’s] replacement, we do not expect fundamental changes in FCC policy that has generally been moving in a deregulatory direction, including on broadband/VoIP… even if the White House tapped Martin, who sometimes clashed with Powell.” It said with the dispute over “largest area of disagreement” between the 2 on UNE rules having receded, “the fundamental debate is moving toward issues on broadband/VoIP policy, where Martin has been every bit as deregulatory as Powell, if not more so.”

Pulver.com Gen. Counsel Jonathan Askin said he was “a little bit concerned” that Powell was leaving before putting a final seal on the net neutrality principles that he had outlined. “What is important is that he wants to deregulate, but he needs something in place of the regulatory structure, and we think that would be a set of that principles that nobody can thwart someone’s access to the Internet,” Askin said: “I am a little bit concerned that Powell is leaving right before implementing a final deregulatory piece in the puzzle to establish a template for competition and innovation.” He said he “would love to see an official FCC policy that would guarantee consumer empowerment and net neutrality” established before Powell leaves: “That would be a beautiful legacy for Powell.” Askin also said he didn’t expect that Powell’s departure to slow the Commission’s pace of addressing VoIP issues. - Susan Polyakova