The American Assn. of Paging Carriers (AAPC) said the FCC shouldn...

system for the paging industry.” AAPC said an FCC study, which attempted to project the financial impact of the 3 contribution methodologies over the next several years, demonstrated “the hazards involved in changing the current system in the absence of a clear understanding of what the impact will be on different industry segments.” For example, AAPC said, the paging contribution under the first connection-based and 3rd number-based proposals was projected to decline compared with the current system. However, it said, “it is not possible to determine whether the projections represent real declines in the contribution levels, or whether they are artificial ones that are the product of flawed assumptions underlying the projections of current levels.” In a separate comment, the Mo. PSC suggested the FCC revise its current philosophy “to mandate that all contributors treat the recovery of the USF [universal service fund] assessment in a consistent manner, whether it is through implicit innovative pricing options or through an explicit surcharge on end-users.” The PSC expressed concern that the current mechanism was confusing for consumers. Since contributors are allowed to choose whether to recover the assessment through a line-item assessment, include the recovery in rates and bundles or use a blended recovery approach, “it becomes difficult for the consumer to effectively compare pricing among competitors,” it said.