Several prisoners’ rights groups opposed a petition by Securus to add a 2 cent-per-minute fee to its interstate calls to cover the cost of providing voice biometric technology, in a filing Friday (http://bit.ly/1cof6Jm). “Securus utterly failed to demonstrate that the rate caps imposed in the Inmate Calling Services Report and Order are below its cost of providing service, even if the Voice Biometrics fee is included,” said the groups, including the D.C. Prisoners’ Project, Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants, the Prison Policy Initiative and others. Securus said Pay-Tel had gotten similar relief (CD Feb 21 p15), but the prisoners’ groups said Securus hadn’t submitted nearly enough proof of its need. “While Paytel was required to submit audited financial statements and detailed cost studies in connection with its request for waiver, Securus merely states -- ‘Me too,'” they said. Unless Securus is willing to submit financial documents detailing its financial situation and verified cost studies, the FCC must deny the petition, the groups said.

Comments are due March 31 on AT&T’s IP transition trial proposal, the FCC said in a public notice Friday (http://bit.ly/NnVB8b). AT&T proposed two southern locations Friday to be the first wire centers the telco attempts to transition to all-IP technology (CD Mar 3 p3). AT&T also proposed to convert the wire centers, in part, to wireless-based service, the FCC said. Reply comments in GN docket 13-5 are due April 10.

The FCC granted Vonage’s request for a further extension of time to comply with a new rule banning fake ringtones. The VoIP provider showed good cause for a waiver, and now has to April 3 to comply with the rule, said a Wireline Bureau order Friday (http://bit.ly/1g4SIjg).

The Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance proposed an alternative regulatory framework for rate-of-return companies, in a filing Thursday (http://bit.ly/1gHLzHh). The voluntary plan would address “some of the concerns associated with eventually moving to model-based support by providing stability, certainty, and an adequate transition period,” ITTA said. In Phase I of the two-phase plan, USF support would be frozen at current levels while participants continue to implement intercarrier compensation (ICC) rate reductions pursuant to the framework in the 2011 USF/ICC Order. They would then move to a price cap-like structure with respect to regulation of rates for special access service. In Phase II, which would begin after the Connect America Cost Model has been modified “to reflect the unique circumstances of [rate-of-return] companies,” participants would accept model-based support and assume service and public interest obligations, in the same way as price cap carriers under CAF Phase II, ITTA said. “We think it’s a noteworthy proposal that should move the industry forward,” ITTA President Genny Morelli told us. “We're hopeful that others will feel the same way.” The primary benefit of the plan is “knowledge of your revenues,” said Trey Judy, director-regulatory at the Hargray Communications Group. “We get stability of revenues, we know the revenues that we will be able to count on to build out broadband,” he said. The plan will also make it a more feasible and easier process to acquire funding, Judy said. Western Telecommunications Alliance Vice President-Government Affairs Derrick Owens said he’s sending ITTA’s proposed plan to his policy committee and plans to discuss it with the committee early next week. “I know I have some companies who are interested in model-based support” or are thinking about what would happen,” Owens told us. But “right now the model that’s out there -- the CAF Phase II model -- doesn’t work for rate of return carriers, and so we're going to take a close look at what ITTA proposed.” CAF Phase II doesn’t work because “the inputs just don’t line up with the actual costs for rate-of-return carriers,” he said. “Any type of model that doesn’t focus on actual costs is difficult for us to accept.” From what Owens has seen from the ITTA proposal, “it at least puts something out there that we can talk to our members about,” he said.

USTelecom and some of its member telcos met with FCC Wireline Bureau officials Feb. 20 to discuss eligible telecom carrier status as the FCC implements Connect America Fund Phase II in territories served by price cap carriers, said an ex parte filing posted Thursday (http://bit.ly/1fLO4KK). The ILECs discussed how to ensure obligations and funding are “appropriately matched” while avoiding consumer disruption. The groups discussed “how this can be achieved with the coming charge from very broad geographic support under legacy programs to the CAF II program’s targeting of universal service support to very narrow, discrete geographic areas for specifically defined services,” the filing said, without going into further detail.

Twenty-seven percent of California libraries are “still using a T1 line,” and 40 percent have speeds under 5 Mbps, the American Library Association told FCC officials Feb. 20, said an ex parte filing posted Thursday (http://bit.ly/1fLRZqN). Twenty ISPs in California provide service to libraries, the group said. “Demand for high-capacity in libraries will continue to grow unless libraries have scalable bandwidth that accommodates future growth,” it said.

The “quickest and certainly the most cost effective way” to expand and increase connectivity to America’s schools and libraries “is by leveraging the extensive networks of commercial service providers,” CenturyLink told FCC officials Monday, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/1fLPqVP). The telco was meeting with agency officials to discuss the planned expansion of the E-rate program. “The Commission should not underestimate, as many parties have, the impressively broad reach of the fiber networks of proven commercial providers.” Public networks, in contrast, have “a poor record for cost-effectiveness and reliability, and self-provisioning of high-bandwidth facilities is invariably ill-advised,” the ILEC said. The “vast majority” of schools and libraries “have Ethernet available today,” and CenturyLink can deliver 100 Mbps or higher service quickly and cost effectively “simply by installing a fiber loop to the school or library building,” it said.

The FCC can encourage smart and efficient use of bandwidth in schools and libraries by modernizing the eligible services list, said representatives from Microsoft and its law firm at a Feb. 20 meeting with commission staff. The representatives said the FCC could better protect student privacy in the digital age, and promote the deployment and use of low-cost, high-quality connections. The positions are described in a Microsoft policy paper, “Empowering America’s Students” (http://bit.ly/1bMeEnE). FCC officials at the meeting were from the Wireline Bureau and Office of Strategic Planning, said a Microsoft ex parte filing posted to docket 13-184 Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1hgHKLA).

The FCC Wireline Bureau dismissed four petitions for waiver of various high-cost universal service filing deadlines, in a public notice Monday (http://bit.ly/1bJoy9t). Hayneville Fiber Transport, Hargray Telephone Co., Pine Belt Telephone Co. and Telenational Communications had their petitions dismissed as part of the FCC’s “ongoing effort to manage its dockets and reduce backlog,” the notice said, because none of the petitions came forward in response to an earlier notice asking if they are still interested in pursuing their petitions.

The FCC clarified that its IP Captioned Telephone Service rule remains in effect, requiring providers to get third-party professional certification from new IP CTS users who pay less than $75 for equipment. In a public notice Monday (http://bit.ly/1bJnl1P), the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said the interim rule remains in effect until the Office of Management and Budget approves the information collections contained in the final rule, which hasn’t happened yet.