ITEXPO East: Former FCC Chairman Martin Talks Net Neutrality, 4G, More

By Paula Bernier, Executive Editor, IP Communications Magazines

Former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin sat down with TMC’s own Rich Tehrani during the keynote sessions this afternoon at ITEXPO (News - Alert) East in Miami. The exchange offered new insight into what the commission did during Martin’s reign, what he thinks about the FCC’s actions of late and what key issues remain to be addressed.

Martin said the current FCC’s (News - Alert) recent order related to net neutrality is actually quite similar to what the commission did on this same front back in 2005 when he was chairman. Both efforts, he said, aimed to protect those who have invested in broadband networks while not creating barriers for those that want to develop and offer new services. Saying the order achieved an important balance, Martin added that some of the same folks who are now saying they like what the current FCC did with its net neutrality order didn’t like it when the FCC he led took what was essentially the same approach. Although any move to address net neutrality is going to be controversial, Martin said the FCC’s recent order about net neutrality took a step to address uncertainty in the marketplace, which he indicated was a positive move.

During Martin’s time heading up the FCC, the commission auctioned off a lot of spectrum, which became available when broadcasters made the analog to digital conversion. Martin said the commission decided not to set requirements that had been discussed, such as line sharing rules, but did finds ways to protect innovation by doing things like requiring spectrum use be open.

Asked about what the move to 4G networks is likely to portend, Martin said it will enable wireless operators to offer speeds that position mobile broadband as a clear alternative to wireline broadband. That will mean there will be at least three, and maybe more, broadband providers in each major market, he said.

Of course, despite the move to 4G, capacity on these new, broader band, wireless networks is expected to be quickly exhausted. The current FCC could address that by issuing new spectrum, but Martin noted there are also plenty of other ways to address the wireless broadband crunch, including offloading cellular traffic to Wi-Fi or femtocells or by deploying picocells.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications & technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2011, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

(source: http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/topics/4g-wirelessevolution/articles/140997-itexpo-east-former-fcc-chairman-mart-talks-net.htm)