Alcatel: DSL rollout unaffected by regulatory questions

Jun 5, 2001 12:00 PM, Donny Jackson, Telephony 

ATLANTA--Carriers are maintaining their DSL deployment despite questions regarding access to remote terminals, officials with DSL gear maker Alcatel said today.

In recent months, regional Bell operating companies have argued that new investments in remote terminals--SBC Communications’ Project Pronto being the most notable example--should not be subject to federal regulations requiring RBOCs to give competitors access to their networks. The debate is central to the controversial Tauzin-Dingell bill being debated on Capitol Hill.

“It is causing uncertainty, and uncertainty tends to slow things down,” said Paul Segre, vice president and general manager of wireline access for Alcatel USA.

However, all major carriers are on pace to reach their stated DSL subscriber goals for the year, “and that’s welcome news in this downturn,” said Jay Fausch, senior director of marketing for Alcatel USA’s DSL business unit.

Indeed, Segre said the only significant delays are in Illinois, where SBC and the state’s public utility commission have been embroiled in a political tug of war. Despite the legislative questions, SBC’s deployment is “robust” in the rest of its territory, Segre said.

“For most of the other carriers, they say there are no regulatory issues.”
Donny Jackson is News Editor for Telephony. He can be reached at donny_jackson@intertec.com.