US regulators need to look forward, not backward — at light-speed
The world of telecommunications and technology has grown and changed dramatically and rapidly over the past few decades. Things make sense today that did not yesterday. Things are necessary today were not yesterday. Watching the U.S. Government pushback against the Juniper Networks and HPE merger, seems like they are looking backwards, not forwards. In order for the U.S. to win, we need to flip the script to stay on the winning track.
The telecom and tech industries are going through sizmic shifts, thanks to new technology and new competition. It started decades ago and continues today. Either we keep up with these changes and continue to lead, or we will be left behind in the worldwide transformation.
The question here is simple. Do we want to continue to lead on the global stage, or are we want to fall back and become followers?
Newt Gingrich said US Government and the world operate on two different clocks
In the 1990s, I sat on an advisory panel to Congressman New Gingrich when he was the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives. We advised him on the quickly and ever changing telecommunications and technology industries.
Today, things are changing evern more dramatically and more quickly than ever before.
Back then, Newt had a way of describing exactly what we are seeing today with the U.S. Government push-back against the HPE and Juniper Networks merger.
You see, the U.S. Government and the world operate on two different clocks. The problem is these two clocks are not in-sync. There is the real-life clock and then there is the government clock.
He said one clock works faster than the other. One operates in real-time and the other is much slower and thinks in terms of years, not days or minutes. Yesterday, not tomorrow.
Today, with all sorts of new technology and new companies, rapidly transforming our world, we need to remain in a leadership position.
Today, we are surrounded by fierce competition and new technology from around the globe.
US regulators need to let us stay current so we can continue to lead
One example is how traditional telecom is fading away, being replaced by new tech like wireless, digital, broadband, satellite and more.
What I am saying is simple. The world is rapidly changing and US regulators need to let us stay current.
The only choice here is to lead or to follow. We must make the right choice.
Today, as things change very rapidly, looking backward and being too slow is a competitive disadvantage.
Helping regulators look forward, not backwards is greatest challenge
Gingrich, who is a historian told me helping the U.S. Government turn around to look forward, not backward, was one of his greatest challenges.
You see, Congress and the Senate generally look backwards, not forwards.
Today, we still struggle with this same problem. However, today quick action is required for our leadership to continue.
As time passes, everything changes. In the world of telecommunications and technology, we have seen things change, radically, over and over again for decades.
Yesterday, we lived in a world of local phone companies, long distance phone companies, analog cable TV, dial-up broadband, fax machines, AM radio, answering machines and more.
Today, our world revolves around newer technology like wireless, broadband, satellite, smartphones, digital cable TV, streaming services and so much more.
Tomorrow, new technology like AI, IoT, Quantum, wireless broadband, private wireless networks and other transformational technology will continue to transform every industry and our entire world.
Will the US be a leader or follower going forward?
As technology continues to march forward, this creates new growth opportunities. New thinking. New ideas. New companies. New executive leaders.
Some competitors can handle this on their own. Others need to merge in order to have financial strength and future industry leadership all in one company.
Here in the United States, we have watched industry leadership change, many times.
As one example, remember how years ago, the leader in wireless handsets were companies like Motorola.
Then came companies and smartphone technologies like Blackberry, sending Motorola to the back of the pack.
Next, the leaders became iPhone from Apple and Android from Google, sending Blackberry to the back of the pack along with Motorola.
Apps have exploded with growth from a few hundred, to millions.
The same thing happened with services. It started out with one huge AT&T. Then it was split up into AT&T for long-distance and seven Baby Bells for local phone service. That was back in the days with MCI and Sprint. There were also a host of small-regional cable TV companies.
We need to recognize the world is changing quickly with AI and Quantum
Today, the marketplace does not look the same, at all.
They all merged to meet the same marketplace challenge. New technology will continue to reshape our world moving forward.
What new services will lead tomorrow? And will we be the learder?
So, as you can see, over the course of time, as industries mature and grow, they also change. New technologies from analog to digital to AI and Quantum and so much more.
Unfortunately, this quick pace is not the way the U.S. Government thinks or acts.
Yet, in order to win the global tech races which are going on right now, the government needs to think forward, not backward.
In order to win, US regulators needs to think forward, not backwards
We can no longer think and act like George Jetson. Today, we must think and act like Fred Flintstone.
Thinking forward is the only way we can compete to win in tomorrows races on the global playing field.
However, if the U.S. Government keeps cutting our team off at the knees for reason that made sense yesterday, but not today, that will and will hurt the United States of America as a global leader going forward.
So, the question is simple. Do we want to continue to think and act looking backwards, which will handicap us and slow our growth potential and hand leadership to other countries?
Or do we want to think and act looking forward, empowering the U.S. to have the chance to compete and hopefully win this advanced race going forward at light-speed?
We can either unleash the U.S. as a competitive winner, or we can block it.
The choice, is ours!
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