RCA Looking at Extension of AUSF Past 2023 Sunset

RCA said on a videoconference Wednesday. The RCA’s authority over the telecom industry remains unclear after a 2019 deregulation law (see 2006100048) and the proposals received for the AUSF’s future in two rounds of comments have been light on evidence, said Commissioner Robert Pickett. The commission was also told a plan for the AUSF would need to be in the hands of the Alaska Department of Law by October for it to take effect before the sunset, Pickett said. “There has been a lot of support for continuing the program but not any kind of consensus on how it should be done,” said David Parrish, RCA common carrier specialist. “Allowing more time for some of these things to shake out is probably wise,” said Commissioner Robert Doyle. The RCA is waiting for clarity from the state's Department of Law on the bounds of its authority, and several commissioners questioned whether the language of the USF statute, which gives the body authority to oversee reasonable long-distance rates, could be stretched to include broadband or oversee a competitive telecommunications marketplace. Extending the USF “by a few years” could provide “space for industry to engage with the legislature” and time to clarify the RCA’s role, said Chairman Keith Kurber. Pickett indicated he prefers a short extension and said he didn’t want to leave it up to a future RCA. “We extend it three years and then some of us aren’t here anymore,” he said. Pickett said staff and commissioners, between now and the September meeting, would discuss and take a look at precise dates for the extension.