USTA praises Powell’s stance on deregulation

U.S. Telecom Association President and CEO Walter McCormick yesterday praised FCC Chairman Michael Powell for telling attendees of a conference sponsored by the Progress and Freedom Foundation that consumers, not regulators, should play the defining role in determining telecom’s future. According to McCormick, telecom policy must reflect “the realities of today’s marketplace rather than cling to a rigid regulatory framework that dwells on the distant past.” USTA Chair Margaret Greene, president of regulatory and external affairs for BellSouth, added that government-mandated price controls and micromanagement have killed other industries and societies. “Just look at the Soviet Union,” Greene said. “The question for the commission today should be how fast can we put consumers in charge.”