Oppositions to an Edison Electric Institute petition for reconsideration of the FCC's December declaratory ruling on pole attachment and replacement costs are due Feb. 13 in docket 17-84, said a notice in Monday's Federal Register. However, the notice lists an incorrect reply date. An FCC spokesperson confirmed replies to opposition are due Feb. 23. EEI sought reconsideration of the circumstances where a utility pole owner must provide a copy of its easement to an attacher and clarification on when a pole replacement isn't "necessitated solely" by an attachment request in its petition.
TruConnect urged the FCC to also freeze benefit transfers for affordable connectivity program subscribers when the new enrollment freeze begins Feb. 8 (see 2401110072. The company made its argument during meetings with aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr, Nathan Simington and Geoffrey Starks. TruConnect also met with Wireline Bureau staff, said an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 21-450. "An enrollment transfer freeze may provide additional time for Congress to renew ACP program appropriations by enabling the program funds to last longer than the projected late April expiration of funds," the company said.
The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates urged the FCC to move forward with its Further NPRM on direct numbering access. Commissioners adopted the item in September (see 2401020055). NASUCA backed expanding requirements for existing authorization holders, it said in a letter posted Friday in docket 13-97. There are "serious abuses of our numbering resources and a need for additional oversight of the processes and procedures involved in the use of our nation’s telephone numbers." In addition, the group encouraged that the FCC "explicitly prohibit the temporary rental of outward dialing telephone numbers."
The FCC appointed Commissioners Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service and Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations, according to an order Thursday in docket 96-45. Both commissioners are members of the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services. Gomez was appointed chair of the universal service joint board and advanced series joint conference. Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will continue to serve as the chair of the separations board.
Service providers must comply with the FCC's permanent disconnection reporting rule for the reassigned numbers database even if they don't have "permanent disconnections to disclose," the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said in a public notice Thursday in docket 17-59. Providers must submit monthly reports on permanent disconnections of numbers assigned to them.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) urged the FCC to forego considering the issue of network usage fees in its net neutrality proceeding. Don't consider the "mandatory-payments issue" the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association suggested, CCIA said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 2-320 (see 2401180042). The proceeding is "an inappropriate forum for that discussion." ETNO’s push for fees is "evidentiary support that network owners are well aware of their singular access to Internet users and are prepared to leverage that access into financial gain," CCIA said.
More than a dozen small independent LECs urged the FCC to ensure any Title II reclassification of broadband is "accompanied by strong regulatory forbearance and state preemption language," which will prevent creation of a patchwork of state regulations (see 2401180042). An ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 23-320 said the California-based companies met virtually with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr Monday. The coalition sought "strong preemption language" that would "prevent disparate and accelerating state regulations" of broadband internet access service. The FCC "has an important opportunity to achieve a uniform, balanced national framework for broadband regulation through clear forbearance and preemption directives."
Wavelength asked the FCC to reconsider a December Wireline Bureau order denying its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction long-form application Friday. The company said in an application for review posted in docket 19-126 that the bureau's denial was "based solely on financial concerns raised at the eleventh hour" after previously determining that Wavelength's technical plans and qualifications "are sound." The bureau "should not be permitted to summarily dismiss Wavelength’s application as part of a last-minute rush to conclude overall RDOF applicant review, while denying Wavelength an opportunity to correct the bureau’s manifest errors," it said. It asked the FCC to reverse the decision and "promptly issue a ready-to-authorize notice."
Consolidated asked the FCC to grant it a six-month waiver of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction rules concerning letters of credit. The company said in a petition posted Friday in docket 19-126 that it needed a waiver so it may continue receiving RDOF support while it seeks a new bank to issue LOCs. Consolidated said the Universal Service Administrative Co. notified it that its current issuer, Wells Fargo, is now below the Weiss bank safety B- rating required under RDOF rules.
The FCC wants comments by Feb. 19, replies by March 5, in docket 19-195 on its broadband data collection challenge process. A public notice posted Friday noted the FCC must submit a report to Congress on the data collection process and whether any tools are needed to improve the data's accuracy.