Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, will be the “go-to guy” leading broadband infrastructure efforts for the House Commerce Committee and “therefore, for the Republican conference,” House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Tuesday before a gathering of NTCA members. “This is a guy you’re going to see a lot as we focus on broadband expansion.”
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai voiced sympathy for blocking a rural phone "rate floor" increase scheduled for July, and is committed to taking broader action to benefit rural consumers. Speaking at an NTCA legislative conference Monday, Pai said he hopes the commission can issue a fall public notice on further details of a planned Connect America Fund subsidy auction for fixed broadband services. Questioned by NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield, he was noncommittal about providing more FCC funding for rural telco USF mechanisms, but repeated his support for Congress including broadband through USF in any infrastructure bill.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai voiced sympathy for blocking a rural phone "rate floor" increase scheduled for July, and is committed to taking broader action to benefit rural consumers. Speaking at an NTCA legislative conference Monday, Pai said he hopes the commission can issue a fall public notice on further details of a planned Connect America Fund subsidy auction for fixed broadband services. Questioned by NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield, he was noncommittal about providing more FCC funding for rural telco USF mechanisms, but repeated his support for Congress including broadband through USF in any infrastructure bill.
Lifeline providers asked the FCC to deny TracFone and Sprint requests for clarification of mobile broadband minimum standards for the low-income USF subsidy program. A group of mobile "eligible telecom carriers" said Lifeline rules don't require ETCs to provide smartphones to subscribers, but they agreed consumers receiving offers of mobile broadband internet access service (BIAS) should have devices that can handle such service. "A 3G-capable feature phone with web browsing functionality used in connection with a plan offering the minimum required data allotment enables consumers to access BIAS in a manner that meets the FCC’s mobile BIAS minimum service standards," said the reply, posted Friday in docket 11-42, by Assist Wireless, American Broadband and Telecommunications, Blue Jay Wireless, Easy Telephone Services and Amerimex Communications. The rules don't "limit the definition of mobile BIAS to licensed, cellular data connections," they wrote: "The Commission should continue to advance the central goals of innovation and consumer choice in the Lifeline Modernization Order by permitting Lifeline providers to offer consumers meaningful alternatives to traditional cellular data, including mobile BIAS plans that rely on alternative technologies such as unlicensed spectrum." TracFone replied that Sprint, consumer groups and a state regulatory commission shared its concerns "about abuses of the minimum service standards and the abuse" of a 12-month "port-freeze" rule (see 1703030025). Telrite replied the FCC shouldn't play "innovation gatekeeper" in Lifeline but let consumers decide which offerings work best for them.
Lifeline providers asked the FCC to deny TracFone and Sprint requests for clarification of mobile broadband minimum standards for the low-income USF subsidy program. A group of mobile "eligible telecom carriers" said Lifeline rules don't require ETCs to provide smartphones to subscribers, but they agreed consumers receiving offers of mobile broadband internet access service (BIAS) should have devices that can handle such service. "A 3G-capable feature phone with web browsing functionality used in connection with a plan offering the minimum required data allotment enables consumers to access BIAS in a manner that meets the FCC’s mobile BIAS minimum service standards," said the reply, posted Friday in docket 11-42, by Assist Wireless, American Broadband and Telecommunications, Blue Jay Wireless, Easy Telephone Services and Amerimex Communications. The rules don't "limit the definition of mobile BIAS to licensed, cellular data connections," they wrote: "The Commission should continue to advance the central goals of innovation and consumer choice in the Lifeline Modernization Order by permitting Lifeline providers to offer consumers meaningful alternatives to traditional cellular data, including mobile BIAS plans that rely on alternative technologies such as unlicensed spectrum." TracFone replied that Sprint, consumer groups and a state regulatory commission shared its concerns "about abuses of the minimum service standards and the abuse" of a 12-month "port-freeze" rule (see 1703030025). Telrite replied the FCC shouldn't play "innovation gatekeeper" in Lifeline but let consumers decide which offerings work best for them.
State commissioners seek more certainty about where they fit into the telecom landscape, said NARUC Telecom Committee Chairman Paul Kjellander in an interview Wednesday at the group's meeting. Early decisions by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and congressional talk of a possible Telecom Act rewrite are good signs that clarity is coming, Kjellander said. As the meeting wrapped Wednesday, the board passed the three substantive telecom resolutions adopted Tuesday by the committee (see 1702140003).
State commissioners seek more certainty about where they fit into the telecom landscape, said NARUC Telecom Committee Chairman Paul Kjellander in an interview Wednesday at the group's meeting. Early decisions by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and congressional talk of a possible Telecom Act rewrite are good signs that clarity is coming, Kjellander said. As the meeting wrapped Wednesday, the board passed the three substantive telecom resolutions adopted Tuesday by the committee (see 1702140003).
The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to revise its plans for a second phase of the Mobility Fund (MFII) “to ensure sufficient, predictable support for the preservation and deployment of wireless networks,” in a letter filed at the FCC Wednesday. The letter was signed by 18 of the group’s CEOs. “This letter makes clear that the FCC’s Mobility Fund II current plan is headed in the wrong direction,” CCA President Steve Berry said in a news release: Members are “seriously concerned that the FCC’s current plan for MFII will undermine their hard work serving areas that would have gone unserved absent their investment and USF support. The Commission is relying on inaccurate and inconsistent information to determine areas that will be eligible for MFII support, and I strongly encourage the FCC to perform a thorough review of its data and utilize the most accurate measurement analysis to identify coverage gaps.” The biggest concern is that the FCC plans to “immediately slash legacy USF in many areas where services consumers enjoy today could be reduced by a flash cut of support,” Berry said. “Rural areas are some of the most difficult to serve, and putting these funds ‘on the chopping block’ will directly impact carriers’ abilities to continue service and will harm consumers that live in or visit these areas. As these CEOs noted, a flash-cut is fiscally irresponsible, especially given the amount of budgetary planning required to maintain and build out networks.” A vote on the fund is teed up for the commissioners’ Feb. 23 meeting (see 1702030039).
The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to revise its plans for a second phase of the Mobility Fund (MFII) “to ensure sufficient, predictable support for the preservation and deployment of wireless networks,” in a letter filed at the FCC Wednesday. The letter was signed by 18 of the group’s CEOs. “This letter makes clear that the FCC’s Mobility Fund II current plan is headed in the wrong direction,” CCA President Steve Berry said in a news release: Members are “seriously concerned that the FCC’s current plan for MFII will undermine their hard work serving areas that would have gone unserved absent their investment and USF support. The Commission is relying on inaccurate and inconsistent information to determine areas that will be eligible for MFII support, and I strongly encourage the FCC to perform a thorough review of its data and utilize the most accurate measurement analysis to identify coverage gaps.” The biggest concern is that the FCC plans to “immediately slash legacy USF in many areas where services consumers enjoy today could be reduced by a flash cut of support,” Berry said. “Rural areas are some of the most difficult to serve, and putting these funds ‘on the chopping block’ will directly impact carriers’ abilities to continue service and will harm consumers that live in or visit these areas. As these CEOs noted, a flash-cut is fiscally irresponsible, especially given the amount of budgetary planning required to maintain and build out networks.” A vote on the fund is teed up for the commissioners’ Feb. 23 meeting (see 1702030039).
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has gotten off to an active start in his first two weeks in the job. Several former FCC officials said early on, in contrast to former Chairman Tom Wheeler, Pai could have a tough time figuring out what to do once designated to lead the regulator, especially given the Republican emphasis on less rather than more regulation and the strong possibility Congress, not the FCC, will address ISP privacy and net neutrality rules. But Pai is already moving forward with a busy agenda, teeing up six items for the Feb. 23 commissioners meeting. Much of his early emphasis has been on closing the digital divide. But controversy arose Friday (see 1702030070).