roundtable: NTIA Update

roundtable: NTIA Update

NTIA Update

DGARDNER@ntia.doc.gov
Mon, 26 Jun 1995 17:28:23 -0400 

Message-Id: <sfeef020.062@ntia.doc.gov>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 1995 17:28:23 -0400
From: DGARDNER@ntia.doc.gov
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject:  NTIA Update


TPR,

Here's the latest version of the NTIA Update...

David Gardner
NTIA/ Office of the Assistant Secretary
<dgardner@ntia.doc.gov>


Here's the new edition of the NTIA Update...



NTIA Update

Room 4892, HCH Building, Washington, DC  20230; Voice 202.482.1835,
Fax 202.482.0979, E-mail: dgardner@ntia.doc.gov

Monday, June 26              A summary of NTIA and NII events and news

NTIA Speaks...

Carol Darr     June 26
Speaks at ITU Council Meeting 
(Geneva, Switzerland)

Larry Irving        June 27     
Speaks at Mass. Telecom Council
(Newton, MA)

Michele Farquhar     June 27
Speaks at the Brookings
Institution 
(Washington, DC)

Tatia Williams     June 30
Speaks at the FCC Small
Business Advisory Council
(Washington, DC)



Event Schedule

Release of the Connecting the
Nation Report, June 28 at Dept.
of Commerce Bldg., 14th and
Penn, Room 6124, 11 a.m.-12
p.m.  Call Mike Hamra at
202/482-1835 for more info.
    
Western Hemispheric Trade and
Commerce Forum, Denver, July
1-2.  Call Tatia Williams at 202/
482-0651 for more information.

 

Quotable...

"We want to ensure that
companies compete. 
Deregulation is not synonymous
with competition.  We cannot
move overnight from regulated
monopolies to a truly competitive
market.  This takes time."
 
Assistant Secretary Larry Irving,
May 25, 1995



NTIA On-Line

NTIA's on-line resources include:
dial-up access: 202. 482.1199 at
speeds up to 14,400 baud. 
Internet access points:
ftp. ntia.doc.gov,
gopher.ntia.doc. gov, and
http://www.ntia.doc.gov.

Senate Passes Major Telecom Reform Bill

Earlier this month the Senate voted 81-18 to overhaul the
Communications Act of 1934 in an attempt to promote competition in the
cable and telephone markets.  The full House should vote on similar
legislation next month.  Recognizing the changes in the bill made on the
Senate floor, the Administration was "encouraged that some progress
has been made," although "more needs to be done to improve the
legislation so that it will truly promote competition, benefit consumers 
and protect universal service."  In particular, the Administration
acknowledged improvements were made to limit cable-telco mergers and
include language that requires that all new televisions contain a computer
chip to allow parents to block out programs with objectional content. 
However, provisions allowing greater concentration in the broadcast
industry, provisions allowing cable rates increases, and the failure to
include a significant role for the Justice Dept. for determining RBOC 
entry into long-distance are seen as serious flaws by the Administration.  
For a copy of the Administration statement, contact David Gardner at
202.482.1835 or dgardner@ntia.doc.gov.


Irving Outlines Administration Positions to FCBA

"The two bills fail the  Three C's Test' -- consistency, competition, and
consumer protection," remarked Assistant Commerce Secretary Larry
Irving, the principal advisor to the President on telecom policy, in a
speech last week before the Federal Communications Bar Association. 
"The bills are marred by inconsistencies.  [According to the bills] it's
wrong for telephone companies to cross-subsidize, but it is necessary
for cable companies to raise consumers' cable rates so that they can
finance their telco ventures," said Irving.  Irving also said that the 
bills could result in the monopolization of local media markets that 
would threaten the diversity of viewpoints that American media markets
currently enjoy.  Concluding his remarks, Irving conveyed his hope for an
"open, level field, where many players can engage in a variety of lines 
of businesses to inform, entertain, and educate us.  The Clinton
Administration will continue to work hard to ensure that our telecom
policy serves the public interest."  For a copy of the speech or the
Administration statement, please contact David Gardner at 202.482.1835
or via e-mail at dgardner@ntia.doc.gov.


Irving Details NTIA Efforts in Foreign Markets

Assistant Commerce Secretary Larry Irving outlined NTIA's efforts to
open foreign markets to U.S. firms and to encourage the growth of the
Global Information Infrastructure (GII) in a meeting of the
Telecommunications Policy Committee, part of the Information
Infrastructure Task Force chaired by Secretary Ron Brown. Specifically, 
Irving assured the business leaders gathered for the meeting that the
Administration was fighting to produce open, competitive markets with
intellectual property and copyright protections.  Irving mentioned that
leaders at the recent G-7 Halifax Summit welcomed the eight core
principles agreed to by the participants of the G-7 Brussels Telecom
Ministerial, and also welcomed a proposed follow-up meeting in Durban,
South Africa in 1996 on these issues.  In addition,  Deputy Commerce
Secretary David Barham outlined the Administration's efforts at the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting held last month which was
attended by ministers from 18 countries.  The APEC ministers agreed on
the "Seoul Declaration," adopting the five GII principles set forth by Vice
President Al Gore, and additional principles including protection of
intellectual property rights, privacy, and data security.  For more
information on NTIA's international efforts, please contact Joanne
Kumekawa at 202.482.1835 or jkumekawa@ntia.doc.gov.

                                              ###

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