NARUC Panels To Tackle Lifeline, Competition, COLR, Native American Telecom Issues

The winter committee meetings feature a larger portion of telecom panels than the annual meetings, which National Regulatory Research Institute Principal Researcher Sherry Lichtenberg said shows the states still have a significant concern for telecom despite deregulation. “There are significant concerns in the states about the level of oversight that states will continue to have,” she said. “And how the states are going to make sure that consumers aren't harmed by this transition.” The meetings also allow more time to address telecom, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson, chair of the telecom committee, told us Thursday.

One of the panels -- enabling competition in a broadband world -- was born out of a resolution that didn't make it out of the committee during NARUC’s annual meeting in Houston in November. Nebraska Public Service Commissioner Crystal Rhoades, who sponsored that resolution, will be a part of the panel. She said the goal isn't necessarily to come up with a solution now but to have a “robust discussion” about what all of the stakeholders think about competition. The panel will focus on the ways in which the states, the FCC and others can assess and increase competition for broadband service, particularly in areas where networks are being funded through government investment, including the Connect America Fund, USF and other methods. “It's very important that we're thoughtful about what incentives we're going to provide to increase competition,” Rhoades said. “What we really want to do is just have a dialogue about how do we do that in a meaningful way that is advantageous both to the consumers and the taxpayers as well as the industry... . We absolutely picked a diverse group so that we could have a lot of different perspectives -- you can't have a well-rounded solution unless you're hearing from all of the stakeholders.”

The states are weighing in on the FCC Lifeline proceeding, mainly in favor of keeping the states in charge of their own eligible telecommunications carrier designations, Lichtenberg said. The Lifeline panel will discuss how the stakeholders can assure limited resources are appropriately targeted to consumers in need. One of the questions will be whether the FCC has the authority to use universal service funds to finance the development and implementation of Lifeline eligibility verification systems at the state level. Lichtenberg said the answer to that question should be interesting. “When you tie all this together -- Lifeline, how Lifeline moves forward in terms of enrollment and verification, and then broadband Lifeline -- that becomes a really, really interesting question,” she said. “It is probably a very important panel, so that we can see the views of all of the different parties.”

There's also a panel about the 1996 Telecommunications Act and how it has functioned over the past 20 years. A panel on Native American telecommunications and energy access will discuss access to and the development of improved communications and electrical services and infrastructure in Native American communities, focusing on tribal lands. On some Native American reservations, electricity, dial tone and 911 communication services aren't universally available, and the panelists will discuss how to address that gap. Another panel is on the COLR in transition, which aims to help state regulators learn how these policies will have to change in response to the technology transition. “I'm very, very pleased with the commissioners that have stepped up to lead these various panels,” Nelson said. “I think they've pulled together some good panelists, and it will be a very thought-provoking and educational session.”