Sullivan's Office in Contact With FCC on Alaska CAF Drafts, Hopeful of Action
The office of Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is "in regular communications with the FCC" and Alaskan telcos on the agency's two pending Connect America Fund items targeting the state, his spokesman emailed us. He was responding to our query after…
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the FCC didn't act on two draft Alaska CAF orders by June 30 despite commission assurances to Sullivan it would act in Q2 (see 1607010060). One draft order would address a telco "Alaska Plan" proposal to provide CAF broadband support to rate-of-return carriers and wireless competitors, and another would address certain price-cap CAF Phase II broadband issues. The commission "continues to work through concerns" with the rate-of-return/wireless draft order "and we are hopeful they will come to a solution soon," said the spokesman Friday. Price-cap incumbent Alaska Communications (ACS) objected to the Alaska Plan's $100 million in proposed annual support for wireless competitors, particularly General Communications (see 1604190012). In a recent filing in docket 10-90, ACS suggested the commission provide additional support for terrestrial middle-mile facilities if wireless needs greater backhaul to meet a CAF 10/1 Mbps broadband speed requirement.