The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court, issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.
TELECOM
US Congress
Senator Thune went on to say that “Next Wednesday will be an opportunity to discuss and gather input from experts on ways Congress can focus on a solution that avoids saddling the Internet with an arcane regulatory framework designed for the monopoly phone era."
On the House side, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology announced it has scheduled a hearing for the same day, January 21, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. That hearing is also entitled, “Protecting the Internet and Consumers Through Congressional Action.” Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), said his committee "will soon put forward a legislative plan that will protect consumers, promote innovation and investment, and provide legal certainty. This hearing will show that the FCC cannot achieve that same certainty nor do they have authority to accomplish as much as Congress can through the legislative process." Just yesterday, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chairman John Thune (R-SD) co-authorized an editorial outlining principles of Internet rules of the road. See the Regulatory Mix dated 1/14/15.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Commission has established a procedural schedule in its docket considering the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund assessment factor for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015. The schedule is:
January 30, 2015 Last date for PUD Staff to issue discovery
February 12, 2015 PUD testimony due
March 16, 2015 Respondents' testimony or Statement of Position due
March 25, 2015 Applicant's rebuttal testimony, if any, due
April 9, 2015 Hearing on the Merits