Today: New York Seeks Comment on Charter Progress, FTC Supports FCC Initiatives to Allow Providers to Block More Illegal Calls, and FCC July Open Meeting Agenda

New York Seeks Comment On Charter Progress

The PSC seeks comment on the proposed settlement between Charter Communications, Inc., and the DPS intended to resolve Charter’s failure to meet network build-out requirements established when Charter acquired Time Warner Cable.  The PSC also asks whether it should adopt a rulemaking amending the going-forward interim targets for extending Charter’s network.  Click here to read the Notice Seeking Comments dated July 5, 2017.  Comments are due by August 21, 2017. 

In lieu of a potential penalty for missing its build-out target, Charter agreed to pay $1 million in grants for equipment to provide computer and Internet access to low-income users and to set aside $12 million as security to meet its network expansion commitment going forward.  On July 3, 2017, Charter filed a complaint against National Grid USA Service Company due to its refusal to provide access to poles.  The complaint states that National Grid’s “actions have frustrated Charter’s ability to meet the initial milestone in the Commission-imposed build-out condition to expand the availability of broadband in New York.”

FTC Supports FCC Initiatives to Allow Providers to Block More Illegal Calls

The FTC expressed support for the FCC’s efforts to enable telecommunications providers to engage in call blocking at the network level to protect consumers from illegal calls. The FTC submitted its comment in response to an FCC notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) seeking input on rulemaking proposals that would authorize two categories of provider-based call blocking: 1) when the subscriber to a particular telephone number requests that telecommunications providers block calls originating from that number; and 2) when the originating number is invalid, unallocated, or unassigned. The FTC supports the NPRM’s proposed expansion of provider-based call-blocking authority to stop calls in these two categories.  In addition to support, the FTC comment also provides specific ideas the FCC may wish to consider during the rulemaking process. The comment highlights that the problem of illegal calls is broader than “illegal robocalls” and includes calls made by a live operator that are abusive, fraudulent, or unlawful. The FTC encourages the FCC to clarify that its efforts are intended to allow blocking of all “illegal calls” -- not just robocalls.  Click here for text of the FTC’s comment.

FCC July Open Meeting Agenda

The FCC announced the final agenda for its July 13, 2017, Open Meeting, which the Chairman has dubbed Consumer Protection Month at the FCC.  As expected, the agenda includes the following items:

• Call Authentication Trust Anchor - A Notice of Inquiry that seeks comment on methods to authenticate telephone calls to further secure telephone networks against illegal robocallers.  The Notice seeks comment on implementing authentication standards for telephone calls, as well as the FCC’s role in this process and other public policy considerations.
• Advanced Methods to Target and Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls - A Notice of Inquiry that explores methods by which reassigned telephone number data could be made available to callers to avoid making unwanted calls to consumers.
• Protecting Consumers from Unauthorized Carrier Changes and Related Unauthorized Charges - A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking outlining steps to further curtail slamming and cramming.
• Rural Call Completion - A Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes rule changes to better address ongoing problems in the completion of long-distance telephone calls to rural areas.  The item proposes to (1) adopt new rural call completion requirements for covered providers, and (2) eliminate the existing rural call completion recording, retention, and reporting rules.
• Video Description - Report and Order which increases the required hours of video described programming that covered broadcast stations and MVPDs must provide to consumers.

The agenda also includes items addressing the FCC’s equipment authorization program, use of the radar services band, and wireless microphone operations, as well as an unspecified enforcement action.

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The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of telecom related 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 Briefing.