The FCC provided extra USF money for Windy City Cellular...
The FCC provided extra USF money for Windy City Cellular and Adak Eagle Enterprises, two eligible telecom carriers serving remote parts of Alaska. “We provide this limited, interim relief because we find that it is necessary to ensure continued service…
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in the carriers’ respective service areas during the pendency of our review,” said an order by the Wireline and Wireless bureaus (http://xrl.us/bn7hbg). “While their petitions have been pending, WCC and AEE have taken steps to reduce their expenses, and our decision to provide interim relief reflects this fact.” Under the FCC’s USF transformation order, ETCs serving remote Alaska got special treatment, with their support capped at $3,000 per line per year, which is equivalent to $250 per line per month, starting Jan. 1 and extending for two years. Both ETCs filed petitions for waiver, seeking higher reimbursement rates because of their unusually high costs. Under the order, WCC will get a fixed $40,104 per month and AEE $33,276 per month for an additional six months or until their waivers are ruled on by the FCC.