Posted by: Bob Quinn on December 12, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Today, we are delivering to our friends and colleagues with whom we work in the communications space a token of Holiday cheer in the form of cupcakes. While we have been delivering Holiday treats around town for years, last year, however, a partial delivery list led to Cupcakegate. This friendly gesture was described as some form of a devious plot to “buy” off the Commission on issues of importance to AT&T. I guess the argument is that a cupcake is all it takes to buy off the integrity of an entire agency. Wait until K Street and advertising execs hear that!
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that there was some pressure to stop the tradition this year because of last year’s silly criticisms (don’t worry, you all will be getting cupcakes again this time around too). But the simple fact is that Holiday treats (cookies for years and now cupcakes) is just a way to say thank you and Happy Holidays to a lot of folks with whom we work at the Commission and in the industry 52 weeks a year.
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Posted by: AT&T Blog Team on December 9, 2011 at 11:05 am
By Len Cali, AT&T Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy
Did you know that one quarter of the U.S. population consists of people who are elderly, have a disability, or both? And 30% of households in this country have a family member with a disability. With our aging population, roughly 10,000 people turn 65 every day. And this trend is expected to continue for the next two decades. Think about that. This is a significant number of Americans whose appetite for mobile broadband technologies is just as voracious as the rest of the population.
This week, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote address at the M-Enabling Summit held here in Washington D.C. This was the first industry event dedicated exclusively to exploring accessible and assistive mobile platforms to better serve seniors and persons with disabilities.
Our philosophy at AT&T has always been to design products and services that benefit as many people as possible. And our Universal Design policy provides our suppliers and internal stakeholders with a clear set of guidelines that enable us to bring accessible products and services to the marketplace.
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Posted by: Jim Cicconi on December 1, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Earlier today, I spoke on a panel at the Phoenix Center telecom symposium. My point about consumer protection was not meant as a criticism of the FCC—it was a call for the Congress to clarify the issue by reexamining the Telecom Act.
As I explained on the panel, both the public and the Congress have expectations that the FCC will operate as a sort of consumer protection agency in the telecom space. I personally agree that it makes sense for the FCC to have such a role. But their underlying statutes are not designed for that. Instead, the laws are largely intended to police a now-vanished Bell System monopoly by protecting Company A against misconduct by Company B instead of simply protecting consumers against misconduct by any company.
This creates a disconnect between the demands on the agency and the legal authority it has to meet those demands. This dilemma has occasionally caused the FCC to look for ways to do what Congress and the public clearly want despite a lack of clarity in the law. The proper answer is for Congress to reexamine the Telecom Act, including what the mission of the FCC should be in the 21st century, and then provide them with the legislative tools to perform that mission.
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