NARUC Resolutions Address E-911, BPL, Lifeline
MIAMI BEACH -- NARUC’s Telecom Committee approved policy resolutions urging Congress and all other levels of govt. to ensure enough money to maintain and improve 911 service and urging states to adopt competitively neutral policies toward BPL deployment, consistent with protecting electric ratepayers interests. At the group’s annual convention here, the telecom panel also supported a resolution passed by the Consumer Affairs Committee calling for furthering Lifeline participation through additional outreach. They advanced through the NARUC committee process with little discussion.
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The E-911 resolution noted that about 25% of the nation’s 3,200 counties lack wireless E-911, 6% have only basic landline 911 and 3% lack any 911. It said Congress in 2004 passed the Enhance 911 Act to create a $250 million grant program for up to 5 years to upgrade or establish 911 but has failed to appropriate any money for it and said NARUC supports requests by the congressional E-911 Caucus to fund the Enhance 911 Act. It also said NARUC looks forward to working with the FCC’s new Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. It said “there is a critical need at all levels of government to ensure appropriate levels of funding are provided” to public safety answering points.
The BPL resolution said the FCC has primary jurisdiction over aspects of BPL service such as radio interference issues, but states have jurisdiction over other regulatory issues that may affect electric utilities’ incentives for BPL deployment. It encouraged states to adopt competitively neutral BPL principles that protect the electric system and electric ratepayers economic interests. It expressed NARUC’s commitment to work with the FCC, public safety community and others’ involved to deal with BPL issues.
Meanwhile, efforts by some members of NARUC’s Telecom Staff Subcommittee to introduce a resolution addressing states’ criticisms of the Missoula Plan for intercarrier compensation (ICC) reform got nowhere. Staffers involved in the private discussions just prior to the Miami annual convention said some state representatives were concerned that a resolution acknowledging states’ discontent with the Missoula Plan would put NARUC in an awkward position, because NARUC had brought together the parties that developed the Missoula Plan. Another difficulty, they said, was coming to agreement on what a Missoula Plan resolution would say. In the end, the decision was made to let each state express its opinion on the Missoula Plan. A number of states in comments to the FCC expressed dissatisfaction with the Missoula Plan’s possible harmful effects on states that acted early on ICC reform, and on consumers.
NARUC’s Consumer Affairs Committee, with support from Telecom, passed a Lifeline resolution encouraging state commissions, telecom providers, consumer advocates and community-based organizations to collaborate on programs to increase consumer awareness of the Lifeline and Link Up programs. It also endorsed outreach recommendations by the Joint Federal-State Lifeline Working Group, for public/private partnerships between govt. and consumer interests to improve Lifeline outreach and enrollment.
Some members of the Telecom Committee questioned a clause in the resolution urging states to “encourage non- telecom entities” to include Lifeline/Link Up information in their billing statements at least annually. They wanted to know which organizations were meant, and if this would be asking outsiders like electric utilities to assume a telecom industry cost. They didn’t call for an amendment but said this matter should be brought up at the NARUC board during its final consideration of resolutions.