The total projected collected interstate and international end-user revenue base to be used in determining the USF contribution factor for Q3 is about $16.1 billion, the Universal Service Administrative Co. told the commission in a report Friday (http://bit.ly/19u2Z8s). That amount was derived from FCC Form 499-Q data reported by wireline and wireless carriers in May, it said.
Google Fiber sees a future profit, but many options should be on the table for local officials, a company executive told community stakeholders last week. The Fiber to the Home Council Americas attracted more than 400 people to its meeting on advanced broadband networks in Kansas City, Mo., it said (http://bit.ly/13qTP8o). The council emphasized ways municipalities can welcome such advanced network services and how its behavior can influence that timeline, a process highlighted in the council’s community toolkit (CD Jan 25 p9). Google is pioneering one of the many options for faster broadband that stakeholders discussed at that meeting, with an emphasis on the role of municipalities.
More Texas companies want money from the state’s USF to make up for federal high-cost support lost due to the FCC November 2011 USF order. The Texas Public Utility Commission issued two notices Wednesday noting requests from Alenco Communications and West Texas Rural Telephone co-op. The PUC granted a similar request to Hill Country co-op this spring after a lengthy proceeding that began last fall, which inspired other Texas telcos to follow suit (CD April 4 p5). Alenco wants $146,049 (http://bit.ly/11e1gRt) and West Texas (http://bit.ly/18Bpp6m) wants $173,069 to replace lost revenue in 2012, according to the notices. Neither request involves any rate increases. The notices said there will be an opportunity to comment and intervene on the requests.
Adak Eagle Enterprises and subsidiary Windy City Cellular have spent a great deal of time, energy and resources “sincerely and diligently responding” to FCC Wireline Bureau requests for information to supplement their waiver requests, the companies told bureau chief Julie Veach May 23, said an ex parte filing released Tuesday (http://bit.ly/16pXyJ5). Given the applicable waiver standard and the commission’s promise of “no flash cuts,” there “must be a way to reach a positive result,” they said. The companies are “working rapidly” to submit a revised proposal based on FCC suggestions on how to further reduce operating expenses, they said. Adak Eagle and Windy City have sought waivers of some of the caps on high-cost USF support, without which they say operations would become unsustainable (CD Sept 19 p10).
FCC acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn has yet to lay out a clear agenda for what she will do in what could be an extended period leading the agency. More will be known next week, when Clyburn releases the preliminary agenda for her first meeting as chair, scheduled for June 27.
The Texas Public Utility Commission will give money from the Texas universal service fund to help Hill Country Telephone Cooperative make up for federal high-cost support money lost to the FCC’s November 2011 USF order. The approval was expected (CD April 4 p5). The PUC issued its final order last week (http://bit.ly/14IJfLi) and recounted the proceeding that started last fall. Due to the FCC’s order, Hill Country lost $551,601 in 2012, $399,614 in 2013, and $271,221 in 2014 due to prices that fell below new federal benchmarks, the order said. But the PUC, the telco and others worked together to permit Hill Country to hike its prices, which will allow it to recover much of the lost revenue for 2012, the PUC said. Hill Country will recover $181,799 from the Texas USF for that year. The hikes, however, will help avoid federal revenue losses for future years, the order said: “The increases in revenue realized by Hill Country are anticipated to fully replace the current projected 2013 and 2014 reduction of FUSF revenues by Hill Country.”
General Communication Inc. “stands ready” to ensure voice and broadband service continue to exist if Adak Eagle Enterprises (AEE) and Windy City Cellular go under, GCI told the FCC Friday (http://bit.ly/ZiMB8Z). AEE and subsidiary Windy City have been seeking waivers of some USF reforms, without which the companies say they may cease providing service on the Alaskan island. “If AEE ceases providing broadband service as a result of the Commission denying AEE’s petition for waiver, GCI will provide broadband through a wireless broadband service similar to that it offers in Dutch Harbor,” the telco said: GCI can afford to provide service not because of “phantom customers” -- as it said AEE has claimed. GCI provides service on Adak within the FCC’s $3,000 per line annual high cost support “by providing service efficiently and by spreading common costs across all its Alaska operations,” the telco said.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission wants a third-party administrator of its state universal service fund by July. The regulator issued a request for proposals (http://bit.ly/194H3kl) with a deadline of June 7, looking for either an individual or organization to manage the fund and serve as what it calls the fund’s “financial hub.” The manager “is responsible for collecting pro rata contributions based on telecommunications service providers’ intrastate end-user telecommunications retail revenues, at a rate set by the OCC, and depositing these revenues into the OUSF,” said the RFP. “The Manager will also distribute money from the OUSF on the first of each month to telecommunications carriers certificated [sic] in the State of Oklahoma.” The manager won’t be able to advocate telecom positions unrelated to USF before the commission, the RFP said. The contract will last a year, with options for four one-year extensions.
LAS VEGAS -- Acting FCC Chairman Mignon Clyburn told the CTIA conference Tuesday that making more spectrum available for licensed use will be one of her top priorities. Clyburn also promised the commission would wrap up rules for the incentive auction of broadcast-TV spectrum this year and said the auction is still on target to take place in 2014. It was her first major speech in her new job, for which she was sworn in Saturday.
TracFone Wireless said Friday it supported a recent request by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., for an audit of the FCC’s USF Lifeline program and urged lawmakers to impose further reforms of the program. “In our view, all responsible Lifeline wireless service providers will embrace such additional scrutiny,” said the company in a news release. Reforms to the program are “working, but additional steps must be taken to further streamline the program and reduce opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse,” the company said. Last week, McCaskill urged the U.S. Comptroller General to conduct a forensic audit of the FCC’s USF Lifeline program to prevent fraud and abuse in the program. McCaskill previously sponsored a failed amendment to this year’s budget resolution that sought to end the program.