USTelecom, With CEOs, Asks Pai for Transition Rules on ILECs Giving Up USF Support
USTelecom with CEOs urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to consider transitions for rural areas where incumbent price-cap carriers lose USF support because they either don't participate in upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auctions or another bidder wins, said a…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
filing posted Friday in docket 19-126: "Rules applicable only to ILECs due to their historical regulatory classification must be relieved in any areas subject to competition." If a winning bidder can't offer telecom service immediately, USTelecom said, new rules should address how an ILEC will receive transitional support from USF if it's required to continue providing service: "Where a new provider receives RDOF support, the ILEC should be relieved of any obligations to continue serving the area." USTelecom still wants a national broadband serviceable location fabric as part of digital opportunity data collections proceeding "as quickly as possible" so it can inform phase one of RDOF. If the agency uses only current Form 477 data "without reference to additional and more granular data provided by the fabric, the commission must address up front the fact that the auction will be based on inherently flawed location counts and bidders should be held harmless," the group said. Association CEO Jonathan Spalter and counterparts from Consolidated Communications, Bob Udell; Tony Thomas of Windstream; Frontier Communications' Dan McCarthy and others also met with each commissioner. Also in Washington last week, Udell spoke with us about RDOF (see 1909230030).