The FCC should postpone action on plans to increase the wireless s...

a June 15 letter to FCC Chmn. Martin. The agency hasn’t properly analyzed either action’s economic effect or submitted a regulatory flexibility analysis meeting Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) requirements, the SBA said: “Doing so will bring the FCC into compliance with the RFA and will afford the Commission the opportunity to legitimately solicit input from small businesses on the regulatory costs of compliance as well as garner recommendations for significant alternatives that would minimize the impact on small businesses.” Last week NTCA also weighed in on the proposal, which is on the agenda for the FCC’s open meeting Wed. NTCA said it opposes eliminating DSL revenue from the USF contribution pot, which reportedly is a reason the FCC is considering expanding contributions elsewhere. NTCA urged keeping DSL revenue and adding revenue from cable, wireless, electric, satellite and other broadband access providers. NTCA said excluding such providers from the contributions base will “conflict directly with [Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens’ (R-Alaska)] telecom rewrite legislation which ties the future of universal service to broadband deployment throughout the United States.” NTCA said “the regulatory classification of cable and wireline broadband Internet access service as an information service does not preclude the Commission requiring all providers of broadband Internet access service to contribute.” The association backs raising the wireless safe harbor and adding VoIP revenue to the pot, it said. But it warned the FCC that the legal basis for doing so might be tricky if VoIP is classified as an information service rather than a telecom service.