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Viodi View Newsletter - March 2nd, 2005
Down in Monterey
By Ken Pyle, Viodi, LLC
The diversity of speakers and panelists was the impressive thing about the California Telephone Association’s program. The speakers represented a full range of interests from free-market think tanks to consumer protection to regulatory bodies. The refreshing thing was, that unlike so many television shows where the hosts have differing viewpoints, the conversation at the CTA remained civil, even though people might be approaching issues from different mindsets.
A person who did a great deal of the facilitation at the conference was Dr. Tom McDonald, a trained psychologist and an excellent motivator. He reminded the group that the half life of knowledge is three to five years. In other words, half of what we know today will be useless in five years. He suggested that if you continue to think conventionally, then you get farther and farther away from the “curve of change”.
Further, he stated that if you can veer off from conventional thinking, then you can create a “creative advantage” and you can begin to be the “change agent” in front of the curve. As a proof-point for the importance of staying at the edge of change, he said that the species that are most responsive to change are the ones that survive. He suggested that the essence of competitive advantage is in the minds and hearts of the people. His presentation was very interactive and provided opportunities for telcos to stretch their minds through small group discussions.
John Rose of OPASTCO discussed some of the nuts and bolts of regulation and did a good job of explaining the Anti Deficiency Act and some of the other important things that went on in Washington D.C. last year. If there was over-riding theme to his comments, it was the importance of independent telcos to help OPASTCO and the other associations make their cases before lawmakers and regulators.
Joshua Hong of K2 Networks showed examples of societies that are beginning to transcend national borders and, someday, could have its own code of law. People are literally living in a different world, as their real-life is being subsumed by their participation in Massively MultiPlayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORG). Hong suggested that the ties become so strong to the online life that he termed this an, “alternative lifestyle.” Hong also explained how he essentially serves as an Alan Greenspan as he has to determine how fast to grow his virtual money supply.
He definitely opened a number of eyes to the reality of where the next generation is taking us. At $13.2 Billion dollars, gaming is bigger than the theatrical box office, and is growing at a significant clip, so gaming is going to be a key driver going forward. He cited the example of Speakeasy, the Seattle-based ISP, that recognizes the unique needs of gamers by having a special package just for gamers (e.g., lower latency).
Smart regulators, like the CPUC’s Susan Kennedy, realize that the same old regulatory processes will work in the new worlds being created by K2 Networks’ as well as others, like EverQuest. She suggested a light touch to regulation and suggested the following guidelines as regulation is changed:
- Create rules that protect consumer s rights
- Transparency of services for consumers
- Some form of market regulation
The other part of her message was that industry has to work with regulators to make sure they can come up with practical solutions. In that light, she stressed the importance for industry participation in California’s Broadband Task Force. Again, if there was one take-away from the CTA, it is the importance for independent telcos to work with their lawmakers and regulators.
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