« My Testimony at the CRTC | Main | Leaving for Home... »

September 22, 2004

My confusion over the meaning and use of the word "How"...

During the Question and Answer session at the CRTC immediately following my presentation, I was asked by the chairman of the CRTC: "...Do you know how we regulate?"

Without blinking an eye, I responded: "I heard you are reactive, not proactive."

The attending audience burst into laughter and the CRTC seems a bit red faced.

I didn't realize I said anything funny or wrong. I thought I was simply restating what I had been told from several Canadians while preparing for my appearance.

From my perspective I didn't mean anything more or less than what was said but it seems that the audience and the CRTC was expecting me to address the rules by which the CRTC regulates the telecommunications industry, and not to address how responsive or non-responsive the CRTC appears to be.

I do apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this remark.

It was truly naive on my part and nothing more.

I'm remind of the old joke: "How do you get to Harvard?" The answer is either, "Hard work in high school," or "You take a left on Mass Ave." I'm not sure exactly which question I answered. But I did not intend to be flip.

The "Save VoIP in Canada" team greatly appreciated the opportunity to present before the CRTC earlier today.

Posted by jeff on September 22, 2004 09:59 PM | Permalink

Additional resources: #140conf events | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos

Comments

Jeff,

Totally in your (macro) camp on things in general. I do believe you can be flip at times, but for the most part justifiably so.

That said, I think the bigger issue is how you perceive and take on service providers, particularly encumbents, and the regulators. In the process you get caught up in unjustifiable and contradictory positions. I think the easier tack is to provide a way for regulators to understand how the disruption will benefit the incumbents and the role they play for societal good.

The role of any government is to understand the rapid market change and shift policy so that a number of conflicting societal and competitive aims are better balanced. That said, you could use the approach that I write about in one of my recent columns and consistently state that the regulators are a pen-stroke away from a 90%+ reduction in access pricing, resulting in a corresponding explosion in demand and actual revenue accretion. This happened 3 times previously.

The regulators need to understand that it is not about VoIP; it's about broadband digital access.

http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_fourth_final_wave/index.htm

ME

Posted by: Michael Elling at September 29, 2004 08:15 AM