INCOMPAS Fall 2017 - Day 2 Show Daily

« 4 » THE INCOMPAS SHOW I OCTOBER 15 - 17, 2017 www.bekabusinessmedia.com DAY 2 Panel to Address Regulatory Outlook for Building Competitive Networks A s we all know, competition is good for consumers and businesses: Vanguard broadband companies deploy new fiber networks, prices drop, speeds increase and new businesses flourish. A session being held today will address barriers to entry for companies that build networks and what individual compa- nies can do to address and overcome these obstacles. The workshop will also address poli- cies that - if enacted - will promote broadband networks by facilitating and advancing fiber and infrastructure deployment. When it comes to the opportunity for new entrants going into cities and towns that may have had limited choice before, the American economy is more broadband dependent than ever before. The expectation is that the demand for broadband will continue to increase over time, especially as more consumers and busi- nesses use connected devices and cloud services to conduct their business, entertain themselves and manage their day-to-day lives. Technological advancements are coming to the forefront of this groundswell of demand. “The Internet of Things, mobile streaming, smart communities, smart farming, connected cars and other new data intensive capabilities are causing an exploding demand for wire- less data services,” said moderator Karen Reidy, vice president of Regulatory Affairs at INCOMPAS. “Mobile data use increased by 18-fold over the last five years and is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the next five years, creating immense opportunities.” There are, however, challenges for new entrants in the build-out of both wired and wireless networks, starting with the economics of the business model — i.e., the cost of build- out — and continuing with anticompetitive realities on the ground. “For example, network builders’ ability to add equipment in a timely fashion on reasonable terms and conditions to a utility pole, duct, conduit or right-of-way, i.e., pole attachments, is a critical factor in their deployment of new fiber networks,” Reidy explained. “Pole owners and existing attachers, however, generally have little incentive to cooperate, especially if the applicant will be a competitor. As a result, the make-ready process is a frequent source of delay in the deployment of new pole attachments and, accordingly, a delay in the deployment of new networks.” Additionally, competitors often have property owners refuse access to multi-tenant environments (MTEs), despite receiving unsolicited orders for high-speed broadband service from tenants that were dissatisfied by the choices presented to them. There are regulatory roadblocks to competi- tion as well, including, for example, the applica- tion of the existing historic preservation review process under Section 106 of the NHPA to the deployment of small-cell facilities. This has been a source of substantial delay and cost to the build-out of 5G networks. Also, carriers must navigate multiple, and frequently overlapping, jurisdictions in order to obtain the needed franchises, permits and zoning approvals, and the processes vary from locality to locality, agency to agency and state to state. These agencies often fail to act in a timely manner when it comes to processing applications and often impose excessive fees. The panel will address these and other challenges, explain open access ROW programs, examine the role of spectrum sharing, and discuss which new policies should be enacted to promote fiber and infra- structure advancement. Some examples of needed regulatory reform include: • Providing new attachers with the option to invoke a one-touch make-ready (OTMR) process for pole attachments; • Revisiting its exclusivity rules in the MTE market and encourage adoption of pro- competitive mandatory access laws, such as San Francisco’s Article 52. • Exempting small-cell deployments from Section 106 review; • Strengthening shot clocks and limit fees for wireless siting applications; The good news is that Washington seems to have taken notice of these problems. For instance, Reidy said, “We are encouraged by the FCC Chairman’s establishment of a Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), and that the Commission has initiated rulemaking proceedings to address these issues.” Don’t miss today’s panel and its in-depth review of these and other issues. p Network Deployment Workshop: Opportunities and Impediments for Network Builders When: Tuesday, Noon - 1 p.m. Where: Golden Gate Ballroom A Moderator: Karen Reidy, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, INCOMPAS Panelists: Dane Jasper, CEO and Co-Founder, Sonic Charles McKee, Vice President, Government Affairs, Sprint Milo Medin, Vice President, Access Services, Google Fiber Misty Stine, Executive Vice President, Business Development, eX 2 Technology, LLC Tara Seals Editor-in-Chief INCOMPAS Dailies tara@bekapublishing.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com Rene Galan Associate Publisher rene@bekabusinessmedia.com Anthony Graffeo Associate Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com Miki Takeuchi Marketing & Digital Media