In the talking typing heads policy battle currently raging across the blogosphere, I hereby declare the NCTA as winner. I actually have very little interest or knowledge of the topic at hand, however there can be only one… and Verizon’s lobbyist is still ending sentences with two spaces, while Cable’s lobbyist linked his rival’s blog. (Bonus 1/2 point to Cable for using WordPress, though they haven’t upgraded to 2.5.* yet.)
Verizon’s PolicyBlog initial salvo:
First, should consumers have information from all providers before choosing a carrier for voice or video services . . . or a package of services? Of course. That seems like a no-brainer. Information – the much-touted concept of transparency – is both the consumer’s and competition’s best friend. How can consumers know if they’re getting the best deal if one of the service providers can’t give them information before they’ve made the purchase?
However, when customers make a decision to leave you, you are obligated to honor their decision to request that their phone number be transferred to their new provider, and respect their privacy by porting their current number within 4 days without harassing them with marketing retention calls. Congress, on a bipartisan basis, and the FCC have previously recognized that integrity in the number porting process is essential for true competition to flourish.
Cynthia Brumfield suggests they’re both speaking out of turn:
More interesting than the fun back-and-forth blogfight between the highly paid lobbyists is the fact that they’re arguing over an FCC decision that hasn’t been publicly announced yet and is part of a rare “restricted” proceeding, meaning that no one is supposed to be blabbing about it unless everyone who is a party to the proceeding is present.