NEWS

By LISA RAMSAY
School of Journalism and Mass Communication

CHAPEL HILL -- Federal Communications Commissioner and Carolina alumnus Kevin Martin will speak at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication on Dec. 6. Martin, who received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC in 1989, is a panelist for a symposium about telecommunications that will focus on current issues facing the industry.

The telecommunications sector has been hit hard in recent years. Bankruptcy and a deflating economy have led to layoffs for 500,000 employees and more than $1 trillion in market losses last year. Now, issues such as deregulation and auctioning the airwaves are heating up on Capitol Hill. Representatives from telecommunications companies Verestar and SkyTel will weigh in on the discussion of the telecom meltdown. They will explore how the industry’s financial woes are affecting consumers and whether new technologies may help improve the situation.

Deregulation is another hot-button issue that will be the center of debate at the symposium. The FCC is considering changing the regulations that govern high-speed broadband service. The move would favor the Baby Bell telephone giants by allowing them to compete outside of their traditional local calling areas. The proposal has competitors lobbying the White House to keep restrictions tight. U.S. Rep. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), vice chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, will discuss whether free-market forces or regulation will help bridge the digital divide.

Meanwhile, universal service requirements have competitors scrambling to carve out their place in the market. FCC Commissioner Martin and Jo Anne Sanford, chairwoman of the N.C. Utilities Commission, will discuss how competition is changing in the telecommunications industry and how much of a role government regulators should play.

For more information about the symposium, visit www.jomc.unc.edu/executiveeducation/telecommunications/ or contact John Conway at (919) 843-8137 or conway@unc.edu. The symposium is cosponsored by the N.C. Press Association, the N.C. Association of Broadcasters, the Electronic News Association of the Carolinas and BellSouth.

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School contact: John Conway (919)843-8137
News services contact: Mike McFarland (919)962-8593