The FCC sought comment by Oct. 3 on Sprint's application to discontinue various wireline consumer long-distance services and associated features on or after Oct. 18. The services include "domestic and international 1+ long distance dialing from presubscribed accounts and casual caller accounts (Message Telecommunications Service), FONCARD, Directory Assistance, Directory Assistance Calling, Toll Free and Operator Services, as well as all associated consumer pricing plans," said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 16-294 listed in Monday's Daily Digest.

FairPoint Communications asked the FCC to waive a tariff rule so it can withdraw its rate-of-return ILECs from a National Exchange Carrier Association "common line" pool. FairPoint petitioned for a waiver from a provision in Section 69.3(e)(9) of commission rules requiring a carrier intending to file its own carrier common line tariff to notify NECA by March 1 of the year in which the tariff is to become effective. FairPoint said its rate-of-return ILECs are regulated similarly to those rural carriers that will elect the FCC alternative Connect America Fund cost model in no longer receiving cost-based support for carrier common-line elements while remaining under rate-of-return rules for traffic-sensitive elements. FairPoint intends to withdraw its rate-of-return ILECs from the NECA common line pool simultaneously with the ILECs choosing the model option, and it needs a waiver if that withdrawal takes effect Jan. 1.

Verizon and XO Holdings told the FCC that competition wouldn't be harmed by Verizon's proposed takeover of XO Communications because there would be many rival fiber providers after the deal even where the companies' services overlap. Data shows "in the comparatively few cases in which both XO Communications and Verizon have fiber in the same building, there are alternate fiber providers located in and nearby those buildings, and thus there is no risk of competitive harm arising from this transaction," the companies said in a filing posted Monday in docket 16-70. The companies identified buildings in 664 locations that XO and Verizon both serve with fiber, the number of competitors with fiber in those buildings, and the number of competitors that have fiber within 0.1 miles and 1,000 meters of those buildings. "More than 96% of these buildings have at least 2 fiber competitors in the building, in addition to Verizon and XO, that 98% of these buildings have at least one fiber competitor in the building, in addition to Verizon and XO, and that 99% of these buildings have at a minimum 2 or more fiber competitors either in the building or within 1,000 meters," they said.

Great Lakes Communications responded to AT&T's complaint alleging it violated the Communications Act by denying AT&T's long-distance business the benefits of direct connection and lower rates (see 1608170042). Great Lakes provided detailed answers to AT&T's allegations and moved to exclude substantial portions of a report from "AT&T's putative expert witness" David Toof, in filings in docket 16-170.

Convo Communications asked to be part of any FCC extension of a rate freeze shielding smaller video relay service providers from scheduled cuts in industry compensation. Convo said it discussed the foundations of a new VRS rate methodology in talks with aides to all five commissioners. Convo has lowered its allowable operating costs during the current small-provider ("Tier 1") rate freeze, but its costs are still higher than the $5.06 per-minute rate scheduled to take effect on Nov. 1 with the next rate cut, said a company filing posted Thursday in docket 10-51. Convo said its cost information would justify its being covered if the FCC extends the rate freeze, as requested by GlobalVRS recently (see 1608150044). Convo also said it appreciated an FCC proposal to adopt VRS interoperability standards developed by a SIP Forum industry group, but it said more needs to be done to address interoperability challenges faced by VRS consumers. The commission should "direct its contractor MITRE to act as an independent third party in testing interoperability. The Commission should also fund an interoperability resource center which would be tasked with disseminating information to VRS consumers about how they can resolve interoperability issues," Convo said. Parties filed mixed comments this past week on FCC interoperability proposals (see 1609150054).

Verizon plans to replace copper with fiber in communities across eight states, according to nine filings it made Thursday in the FCC docketing inbox (available here). Such copper-retirement notifications have streamed in from Verizon and other telcos, but the new ones appeared to be among the biggest batches yet. "These latest filings are part of an on-going effort to transform our network to realize the many benefits of fiber, a process that started years ago," emailed a Verizon spokesman, who said the filings cover 80 wire centers in eight states: Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey (two), New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. The filings said most customers who are served by the copper purchase "plain old telephone service" (POTS). "Following transition to fiber, Verizon will continue to offer these customers the same POTS service over fiber at the same or better price as they received on copper facilities, with no change in the underlying features and functionalities in their service," they said. Six of the filings said the retirements weren't part of a transition to IP-based service, and Verizon will offer customers the same regulated service they currently have. Also last week, the Wireline Bureau issued seven public notices (available here) on other recent Verizon notifications of copper retirements as part of fiber transitions in five states: Massachusetts, New Jersey (two), New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia (two). Any objections must be filed within nine business days of the PNs. One industry official told us copper-retirement notifications filed by incumbent telcos at the FCC have generally not been controversial, at least since Superstorm Sandy caused widespread damage to Verizon systems in the New York City area, including on Fire Island, in 2012. ILECs, CLECs and others did heavily dispute the rules for copper retirement notifications and related telecom service discontinuance applications in FCC tech-transition proceedings that produced orders in August 2015 and in July (see 1508060044 and 1607140066). Some East Coast states are looking into Verizon copper service quality and the telco’s willingness to upgrade copper in areas where it hasn’t rolled out fiber (see 1609080030 and 1608120053), while the District of Columbia is considering copper abandonment and battery backup rules (see 1608170041).

The FCC issued an agenda for its Sept. 26 1 p.m. "info session" on technology transitions as traditional copper-based networks and services are replaced by fiber and wireless networks and IP-oriented services. Staffers from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Public Safety, and Wireline bureaus will provide consumer information on the tech transitions, said a public notice Thursday. Attendees don't have to RSVP but are encouraged to email techtransitionsinfo@fcc.gov by Sept. 25 to facilitate building entry.

The FCC issued $11 million in fines to three long-distance carriers run by Data Integration Systems for cramming and slamming consumers. Cramming is the practice of adding unauthorized charges onto a consumer phone bill, and slamming is switching a consumer’s preferred phone carrier without permission. The California-based companies -- Central Telecom Long Distance, Consumer Telcom, and U.S. Telecom Long Distance -- also did deceptive marketing and violated truth-in-billing rules, the FCC said in a news release Thursday. The agency said it reviewed about 260 complaints about the companies, with many submitted by consumers who never heard of or signed up for their services. Telemarketers for the companies falsely claimed they were calling on behalf of the consumers’ real carriers about a change in service, then switched the customers long-distance carrier to one of the Data Integration Systems companies, the FCC said. The companies kept charging monthly even when customers found out and returned to their preferred carrier, it said. Data Integration Systems owner Craig Konrad didn’t immediately comment.

Video relay service providers offered mixed reaction to FCC proposals to incorporate interoperability and portability standards into agency rules (see 1608050031). Convo Communications, CSDVRS (ZVRS), Purple Communications and Sorenson Communications backed the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's proposed incorporation of one interoperability profile (Session Initiation Protocol profile) into telecom relay service rules. The bureau shouldn't incorporate "the Interoperability Profile for Relay User Equipment ('RUE Profile') because doing so would have the unintended consequence of imposing the RUE Profile on all provider-distributed endpoints," the providers filed, as comments were being posted Wednesday and Thursday in docket 10-51. "This goes far beyond the purpose of the RUE Profile, which was intended solely to govern the interactions between the Commission’s Accessible Communications for Everyone ('ACE') software and VRS providers. And it would force providers to remove any innovative or useful features of their endpoints that are not specified in the RUE Profile and to subject their networks to lower security than they employ today." The VRS providers also said 60 days is insufficient time to implement either standard, saying at least 120 days is needed for the SIP profile and a year for the RUE profile once a certified compliant version of the ACE application is available. Sorenson and ZVRS separately elaborated on their concerns. ASL Services Holdings (GlobalVRS) supported incorporation of the SIP profile but said the FCC should clarify its intent regarding the RUE profile and allow parties to participate in further development of the standard. Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association for the Deaf and other consumer advocacy groups supported incorporation of the RUE interoperability and portability standards, but said they should be subject to further revisions in the future. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Omnitor said the RUE specification, as written, raised some technical questions and issues that should be addressed and revised before being incorporated.

FCC staff made available fixed broadband deployment data as of Dec. 31. The information is based on industry Form 477 submissions, including revisions made by Aug. 29, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 11-10 posted Wednesday in the Daily Digest. The data are available on the commission's Form 477 webpage.