Monthly Newsletter
www.chinaview.cn  2009-04-10 12:26:02
HOUSTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Alabama State Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would end regulation of home and business phone services and give landline phone rates the same deregulated status as cell phones and Internet-based calling. The bill was approved 19-8.
Under the bill, Alabama's Public Service Commission would not control or supervise the costs or quality of basic residential telephone service starting in January 2011. Industry analysts said that, in Alabama, most phone service is already unregulated by the PSC, which oversees utilities in the state. They pointed out to the fact that wireless phones have already been unregulated by the PSC. So have been the package-deal bundles that combine local phone service with options such as caller ID, voice mail and Internet access. Proponents of the bill believe that deregulation would benefit customers because it would spur increased competition among providers resulting in more services and lower costs. But opponents warned that without PSC regulation, the state couldn't stop AT&T, Frontier, CenturyTel or other basic phone service providers in Alabama from significantly raising rates, especially in rural areas, where providing landline phone service is more expensive. AT&T has been a pilot in pushing the state senate to pass the bill. Fred McCallum, president of AT&T Alabama, said competition would keep any company from raising rates significantly after deregulation. AT&T spokesman Hood Harris said the bill would create a level playing field for landline phone companies with cell phone and Internet-based firms. Harris said AT&T lost 10 percent of its landline customers to other phone technologies last year. The bill now goes to the State House for debate.
FTTH advances in North America
By Robert Briel | April 9, 2009 | 08:27 UK
The number of North American fibre-to-the-home (FttH) subscribers continues to grow at an annual pace of approximately 1.5 million and now stands at more than 4.4 million, according to a study released today by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council.
The report also showed growth in the number of homes passed by fibre networks – from 13.8 to 15.2 million – and showed that FttH networks are now available to more than 13% of North American households, with end-to-end fibre connections now being used by nearly 4% of the residential telecommunications market.
The study also noted that the number of homes receiving video services over FttH is up by 62% over the past year, from 1.6 million in March 2008 to nearly 2.7 million today. Meanwhile, the overall ‘take rate’ – the percentage of those offered FttH service who decide to subscribe – went up for the sixth straight six-month period, and now stands at nearly 32%.
Led by Verizon’s massive investment in FttH technology in the deployment of its FiOS service, the fibre to the home industry in North America also includes hundreds of smaller telephone companies and other network providers, municipalities, planned residential communities and cable television companies that are making the move to end-to-end fiber to deliver next-generation video, internet and voice services
Believe it or not.....
Bald eagle electrocuted on telephone wire
A bald eagle was electrocuted when it landed on an uncovered telephone wire near Myakka City, according to Bradenton Herald.com. A wildlife rescuer who was called to the rural scene found a year-old female eagle that was barely alive Saturday evening. “I tried to stabilize the eagle,” said Justin Matthews of Matthews Wildlife Rescue. “One of the feet was burnt where it touched the wire. It blew out a portion of the wing. She was very emaciated.” Matthews fed the bird a few chunks of tilapia that night, but found the bird dead Sunday morning.
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