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Telephony--Clecs, Long Distance/Expert Profile
Expertise
My telephony expertise is in the regulatory / policy area. If you have questions about federal or state regulations, I might be able to help you.
I am not an engineer or installer, so I can't answer technical questions about networking, cell phones, VOIP etc.
Experience in the area
I have over 30 years of experience in telecommunications, most of it with a major telephone company.
During that time, I've been a telco engineer (1979-83), auditor (1983-89), rates & tariff analyst (1989-96), R&D manager (1996-00), federal regulatory analyst (2000-02), state tariff and regulatory analyst (2003-08), and a telecommunications consultant (2009-10).
I am currently a policy analyst for a state public utility commission.
Organizations
IEEE (since 1980)
ICMA (since 1992)
Education/Credentials
Associates in Accounting
BS in Physics
MBA in Telecommunications
Awards and Honors
I am a Certified Management Accountant (since 1992).
What do you like about this subject?
I really enjoy the fact that telecom issues are "news", especially regulatory / policy matters (e.g., broadband deployment, network neutrality and Internet access, etc.).
What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?
There is so much going on in telecom and broadband policy, I can never hope to master it all. I'd like to be around if and when the telcos are fully deregulated and free to compete against the Comcasts of the world.
Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:
The transistor, which made integrated circuits and PCs possible, was invented at Bell Labs, as was the C programming language and UNIX operating system. But because of regulation and litigation, those inventions could not be patented for the exclusive use of the Bell telcos (and AT&T). By law, those patents had to be licensed to others!
Something controversial or provocative about this subject
Telcos are not the "evil empire" people think they are. And "rate of return" regulation doesn't guarantee a profit for the telcos. Hawaii Telecom went bankrupt under rate of return regulation!
Average Ratings
Recent Reviews from Users
K = Knowledgeability C = Clarity of Response P = Politeness| User | Date | K | C | P | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prashant Akerkar | 06/22/11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Dear Fred Thank you. Thanks & Regards ..... |
| prashant akerkar | 02/28/11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Dear Fred Thank you. Thanks & Regards ..... |
| Julie | 09/19/10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| TY | 01/03/10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Duane | 03/30/09 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Fred: Thanks for the info, very helpful ..... |
Recent Answers from Fred Goodwin
2011-06-22 Self Dialing - Caller and Receiver Same - Wired and Wireless Communications:
As my bio indicates, I'm a regulatory person not an engineer so I'm not quite sure what you're asking me. "How is it programmed to work"? The PSTN is a network of stored program control digital computers
2011-02-28 Telecomminications Standards - Phone Numbering System:
I'm not sure why this question is coming to me -- as my bio says I'm not a technical person. Given the cost to replace all the handsets in the world and to reprogram the entire network worldwide, I'd
2010-09-19 discontinuance:
Julie: There is a difference between "discontinuance" of service and "disconnection" of service. A "discontinuance" means a phone company (like AT&T) withdraws from an entire market. However, if
2009-03-16 confusion:
You'd be much better off talking to your school career counselor than me, but I would think an MBA would generally make you a more attractive initial hire than someone without the MBA. As to which field
2008-08-22 Difference between a cell number and a phone number:
In the US, there is no way to tell the difference between a cell phone number and a "normal" telephone number, just by looking at it. Theoretically, you could tell by looking up the NXX (the first three
Answers by Expert:
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