AT&T Supports Removal of Cuba From FCC Exclusion List

filed with the commission and posted in docket 15-289 Monday. Section 214 governs provision of telecommunications between countries. The filing, submitted by AT&T Services, is in response to an FCC notice seeking comment on removing Cuba from the exclusion list, which reflects a request from the State Department to look into the matter (see 1511240066). AT&T is one of two companies to submit by the Dec. 4 deadline comments in response to the public notice posted by the FCC. "AT&T supports this [commission] proposal, and encourages a rapid implementation," it said in its filing. Removing Cuba from the exclusion list would "help foster competition for bilateral communications between the United States and Cuba, and thus increase the flow of information to and from the Cuban people," AT&T said. The company also said it hopes the FCC will "soon take the additional step to modify the licensing of telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba" to remove nondiscrimination requirements on the U.S.-Cuba route. This additional modification to licensing rules would extend the same regulatory treatment that currently applies to all other international routes, AT&T said. Connected healthcare device developer Medtronic also supported the public notice, in a comment to the FCC. Many medical devices rely on communications capabilities and allow physicians to download data from implanted devices to monitor aspects of a patient's health, the group said. "By making it easier for U.S. carriers to provide facilities-based telecommunications services from the [U.S.] to Cuba, the [FCC] will be taking yet another step to global implementation of medical technology that relies on communications to leverage the capabilities of physicians and to enhance the lives of patients," Medtronic said. Reply comments are due Dec. 9.