As you might expect, yesterday’s move by the FCC to open up a full-blown inquiry into the wireless industry was welcome news to Skype.
Skype has had a contentious history with the wireless industry. Last year, the company took issue with comments made by wireless industry executives at last fall’s CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference. Skype Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs Christopher Libertelli fired off a letter to then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin raising questions about the industry’s “lip service” toward open networks.
Well, yesterday, Libertelli said the commission’s Notice of Inquiry, under new Chairman Julius Genachowski’s leadership, is spot-on in terms of asking the right questions to maximize innovation across the ecosystem.
“Skype is confident that the commission can improve on the existing levels of competition in wireless by enabling a new source of competition and innovation – from software companies – to drive demand for more affordable wireless broadband to more Americans,” he said. “We welcome this inquiry and look forward to working with the commission to develop the right policies to maximize innovation and choice.”
Consumer groups were predictably happy as well. Public Knowledge President and Co-founder Gigi Sohn said the commission took “exactly the right path” in its vote to look at all aspects of competition in wireless. “For too long, the appearance of competition among a few carriers has masked underlying anti-competitive industry practices ranging from consumer contracts to roaming agreements,” Sohn said in a statement.
Sohn also mentioned the group hopes that as part of the commission’s ambitious agenda, it will act soon on a petition to declare that wireless carriers cannot block text messages or decline short codes based on the content of the message or short code.
Filed Under: Industry regulations + certifications