F.C.C. ready to establish phone rules; agency to regulate rivals in local markets

Article Abstract:

The FCC will release rules governing competition in the local telephone market on Aug 1, 1996, as the agency indicates that it seeks a stronger position in the deregulated industry. Drafts of the rules reveal that the FCC is addressing a number of details that the Bell companies had urged the agency to leave to the discretion of the individual states, where the regional companies have more influence. The FCC rules seem to favor the long-distance carriers initially, since the local carriers are required to lease network capacity to the long-distance companies at a discount of at least 22% below the retail rate. The regional carriers must also lease competitors sections of the local networks, although the Bell companies had argued that splitting up the network would be expensive and difficult. In a move many see as a sop to the Bells, the FCC did not address the issue of access fees. Long-distance carriers want these fees, which the Bells charge for completing long-distance calls at the local level, lowered.

Regional Bell Operating Companies, Local telephone services, Local telephone service

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F.C.C. approves new rules for nationwide caller ID

Article Abstract:

The FCC is establishing rules for nationwide caller ID services that will allow callers to know the telephone number of an incoming call from anywhere in the US. Local caller ID is already available from most telephone companies and users who subscribe to the service receive a small device that links to their telephone and displays the number of the local incoming call on a small screen. The new rules will require telephone companies to transmit caller ID information on a nation-wide basis. The FCC also addressed privacy concerns by ruling that telephone companies must provide callers with the capability to mask their telephone number on outgoing calls. Businesses are expected to use nationwide caller IDs on a wide basis and companies with toll-free numbers are already using caller ID.

Services, Telephone, Telephony, Telephone systems, Telephone system, Automatic Number Identification (Telecommunications), Government Activity

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The bidding for airwaves may pick up

Article Abstract:

Telecommunications industry analysts expect the bidding for wireless telephone services will become intense because of cellular telephone entrepreneur Craig O. McCaw's interest in the Los Angeles and New York licenses. McCaw bid up the Los Angeles license to $171.7 million to best Pacific Telesis' bid of $57.4 million during the first round of auctioning. However, Pacific Telesis countered with a $183.2 bid, which remained the high bid during the week ending Jan 6, 1995. The FCC is auctioning the rights to 99 regional wireless licenses. These auctions are expected to net the government between $3 billion and $10 billion. Some companies such as AT&T appear to have a strategy of winning multiple regional licenses to build a national wireless system.

Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities, Telecommunications Regulation, Management, Wireless network, Wireless LANs, Licensing, Government Regulation, Price, McCaw, Craig O.

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