INDUSTRY NERVOUS ABOUT ACTIVIST GOVERNMENT UNDER OBAMA

摘要

The communications industry is bracing for stepped-up regulation under a Barack Obama presidency. Some executives welcome increased attention to broadband policy but doubt that the universal service subsidies for broadband that Obama has proposed can come about, considering the weakness of the economy and the size of the federal deficit. Some fear net neutrality legislation, but others predict that Obama will back away from his commitment to it. "Everyone recognizes the need for workable network management rules, but crafting them in a way that does what they are intended to do is what the challenge is," said telecom lawyer Jim Baller. nn" So much depends on the personalities of the people who get appointed," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Rebecca Arbogast. In the Obama administration Internet, technology and broadband issues will gain prominence, she said. Obama probably will have a far more hands-on approach to technology, like the one in the Clinton administration. "It was a coordinated effort," she said. "I think you will see a reinvigoration of that." The debate over wireless net neutrality could pick up, with increased attention to carriers' ability to decide which applications and which devices get preferential treatment on their networks, Stanford Group analyst Paul Gallant said.