Industry, NASUCA Urge Reconsideration of Lifeline Order

Administrative Procedure Act (APA), unnecessarily increased administrative burdens, as well as areas where the Commission should have been clearer,” USTelecom said. The FCC didn’t provide enough notice for changes to the carrier recertification process or port freeze requirements in the order, it said. The wireline association said the FCC should reconsider the effective date of the streamlined federal eligibility criteria and obligation to offer Lifeline broadband internet access service (BIAS) requirements. USTelecom said the date should be delayed until Dec. 31, 2017, or 12 months after Office of Management and Budget approval of the order, whichever is later: “A December 1st obligation to offer Lifeline broadband does not allow adequate time to modify systems to identify those locations where Lifeline broadband must be made available.” Among other requested changes, USTelecom urged reconsideration of the FCC decision that voice should continue to be supported in census blocks with a single Lifeline provider. And it should reconsider the exception to its minimum standard requirements for fixed providers that haven’t deployed broadband networks in specific geographic areas, it said. Also, the commission should reverse its decision that high-cost carriers with state eligible telecom carrier designations are subject to BIAS Lifeline obligations, it said. In a joint petition, NTCA and WTA also urged the FCC to reconsider the exception to the fixed broadband minimum speed standard, saying “it represents a failure to properly leverage the High cost universal service program and will inadvertently punish certain low-income rural consumers.” The FCC should reconsider phasing out support for voice-only service, and exempt rural Lifeline providers using satellite backhaul from the 150 GB minimum usage allowance standard, they said. CTIA asked the FCC to reconsider its decision to set long-term minimum capacity standards for mobile broadband at 70 percent of the average mobile data usage per household. “The record raises serious questions about whether the 70 percent average of mobile data usage per-household standard adequately accounts for the affordability of Lifeline broadband service for the lowest-income consumers who otherwise would stand to benefit the most from the Commission’s recent modifications to the Lifeline program,” CTIA said. NASUCA urged reconsideration of the decision to remove Lifeline support for stand-alone voice services and said the agency failed to adopt regulations so that customers who can’t afford bundled services can maintain basic voice service, failed to require payment arrangements for backup power for Lifeline customers, and failed to require USF contribution from broadband services. NARUC has challenged the Lifeline order in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 1606030053).