The California Public Utilities Commission is seeking comments on provider-imposed charges on customer bills. It’s phase two in a rulemaking to update telecom surcharge mechanisms, the CPUC said. The commission switched to a connections-based state USF contribution method in phase one of docket R.21-03-002 (see 2210200073). T-Mobile asked a court to stop that October decision from taking effect April 1 (see 2302280037). Provider-imposed charges are “separate and in addition to the various [public purpose program] surcharges on customer bills, the CPUC said. “These charges are not always clearly identified, nor is the purpose of these charges clear. These charges have increased substantially in recent years.” The CPUC asked providers to list their charges, how much revenue they generate and how that money is spent. The agency asked companies how they disclose the fees and if any violate state cramming restrictions. “Explain whether the Commission should prohibit provider fees for purposes of protecting consumers against unjust, unreasonable, or illegal charges and fees that appear on communications customers’ bills.” Comments are due April 5, with replies due April 20.
AT&T representatives met with staff from the FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics about USF, including the future of the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) program. “Specifically, we stressed how broken and in need of reform the current” USF “contributions mechanism and factor are,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-476: “Indeed, the perilous state of the contribution factor and how to modernize the funding mechanism was ‘one of the most intensively discussed topics’ in the Future of USF proceeding’s record.” Among AT&T’s recommendations are that the FCC consider making some ACAM locations eligible for broadband, equity, access and deployment program or other federal/state broadband funding programs, and whether “other technologies like fixed wireless already exist in ACAM-eligible areas and/or would be more cost-effective to reach certain high-cost locations.”
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission should “avoid rule changes that may exacerbate … uncontrolled growth” of Oklahoma USF (OUSF), CTIA said in Friday comments on a proposal in docket RM 2023-000006. One proposed change would “lower the evidentiary standard for OUSF surcharge increases” by allowing the fund administrator to forgo filing supporting testimony, said CTIA: That would be OK only for proposals to maintain or reduce the surcharge. The wireless industry association also raised concerns with a proposal to give the commission “sole discretion” on whether to hold a hearing to resolve objections to proposed surcharge changes. That, coupled with a proposal that would automatically deny objections if the commission doesn’t act on them within 30 days, would limit stakeholders’ opportunity to disagree with fee changes, CTIA said. Rural carriers proposed making it easier for surcharge changes to take effect. If no objection is filed to the administrator’s recommendation and commissioners choose not to adjust it, the recommendation should take effect in 30 days, said Atlas Telephone, Consolidated Communications and others. If an objection is filed but the commission takes no action on it in 45 days, then the objection should be deemed denied and the administrator’s recommendation should take effect the next day, the RLECs said. With a more efficient process for modifying the OUSF assessment, recipients will likely obtain support in a “more timely” manner, said Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff in a Wednesday rule impact statement. Staff said it doesn’t expect any adverse economic effects to small businesses or increases to compliance costs.
Industry groups and consumer advocacy organizations disagree about how the FCC should define digital discrimination and ways to facilitate equal access to broadband, according to comments posted through Wednesday in docket 22-69. The commission adopted an NPRM in December seeking comment on rules to combat digital discrimination, as required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (see 2301190049).
Senate Public Works Committee ranking member Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., refiled the Rural Broadband Protection Act (S-275) Wednesday to change FCC vetting rules for participants in USF high-cost programs. S-275, first filed last year (see 2205030031), would require the FCC to launch a rulemaking to "establish a vetting process” for USF high-cost applicant ISPs, including requiring them to provide “sufficient detail and documentation for the Commission to ascertain that the applicant possesses the technical capability, and has a reasonable plan, to deploy the proposed network.” The FCC would be required to evaluate new applications based on “reasonable and well-established technical standards,” including those the commission adopted for its Form 477 Data Program “for purposes of entities that must report broadband availability coverage.” The legislation “expands on my broadband efforts, and is a product of many discussions I’ve had with small rural service providers and local leaders in my state,” Capito said. “These discussions made it abundantly clear the FCC needs congressional direction to ensure taxpayer money is being used properly to fund broadband deployment in rural areas.” In 2023 “we should be able to bring high-speed internet to every community in our country, regardless of their zip code,” Klobuchar said: “This bipartisan legislation will help Americans connect to work, school, health care and business opportunities by ensuring the companies that apply for federal funding to build out broadband infrastructure can get the job done.” Capito’s office cited support from NTCA and USTelecom.
The NARUC board passed telecom resolutions Wednesday on the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and extending FCC spectrum auction authority. The RDOF resolution recommends a referral to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, but that body’s state members told us at NARUC’s meeting this week the joint board hasn’t met in several years. The FCC’s continuing lack of five commissioners could be a big reason, they said.
The Alaska USF sunset will be delayed three years through June 30, 2026, said a Regulatory Commission of Alaska final order released Tuesday. Last year, the RCA rejected state USF changes proposed by industry (see 2212070046 and 2210260076).
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission could vote March 21 at 1:30 p.m. CDT on a state USF rulemaking opened Tuesday. Commissioners voted 3-0 at a livestreamed meeting to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (docket RM2023-000006) to consider amending Oklahoma Chapter 59 rules on Oklahoma USF and Lifeline programs. The notice schedules technical conferences 1:30 p.m. CST Feb. 21 and 1:30 p.m. CDT March 13. Comments will be due Feb. 24; replies March 13. Commissioners also voted 3-0 to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking with the same dates for a rulemaking to amend Oklahoma’s Chapter 55 telecom rules (docket RM2023-000005). Commissioners raised concerns about Oklahoma USF stability while voting 2-1 in November to increase the connections-based surcharge to $1.85 from $1.14 monthly (see 2211290052).
Arizona Corporation Commission staff recommended delay considering repeal or changes to Arizona USF (AUSF). Commissioners could consider staff’s recommendation at its Feb. 22-23 meeting. Comments are due Feb. 17 in docket T-00000A-20-0336. "Amendment, modification, or repeal of the AUSF High Cost Rules may be appropriate at some time in the future,” staff said. But since Frontier, the sole recipient of the support, must file a rate case by Aug. 30 and "there may be several potential outcomes" to that filing, staff thinks it's premature to consider changing or killing AUSF. If commissioners decide at the end of the rate case that Frontier should stop getting support, they should direct staff to start the AUSF rulemaking, said the recommendation. Also, staff noted Solix remains under contract to distribute E-rate broadband special construction projects, which are expected to be completed by June 2024. Any commission action on USF would need to take into account that program’s status, it said.
Satellite-provided emergency SOS messaging is just the starting point for satellite operators looking to provide direct-to-handset service, but it won't be the business plan for anyone, said Iridium Director-Legal and Regulatory Coral Faradjian Tuesday in a Smallsat Symposium panel. She said the real revenue, and business plans, seamless transitions between terrestrial mobile and satellite-enabled services.