Today: FTC Workshop on Misuse of Consumer Information, FCC Online Dashboard, FCC EAS Test Results, CenturyLink in Colorado Seeks to Delay Effective Date or NG911 Tariff  

FTC Workshop on Misuse of Consumer Information

The Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop on December 12, 2017, to examine questions about the injury consumers suffer when information about them is misused.  The workshop will address questions such as how to best characterize these injuries, how to accurately measure such injuries and their prevalence, and what factors businesses and consumers consider when evaluating the tradeoffs involved in collecting, using, or providing information while also potentially increasing their exposure to injuries.

FCC Online Dashboard Launched

The FCC announced the launch of an online dashboard to provide the public with more information on the agency’s work.  This resource will help consumers access reports and graphics on FCC workloads, pending actions, and other accountability matrices, and more easily access Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) materials.  The dashboard includes information about pending applications, petitions, complaints, and license renewals.  The dashboard is available here. 

FCC EAS Test Results

The FCC released its initial findings regarding the 2017 nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test.  Initial test data indicate that the majority of EAS Participants successfully received and retransmitted the National Periodic Test (NPT) code used for the test.  Overall, performance appears to have improved over what was observed in the 2016 nationwide EAS test.  19,069 radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) providers, wireline video systems, and other EAS Participants in all 50 states and U.S. territories filed their receipt and retransmission results in the ETRS after the nationwide EAS test  (versus 20,389 that did so in 2016).  95.8% of test participants successfully received the test alert (versus 95.4% successfully received in 2016).  91.9% of test participants successfully retransmitted the test alert (versus 85.8% successfully retransmitted in 2016).

Colorado - CenturyLink Seeks to Delay Effective Date of NG 911 Tariff

The parties have agreed to modify the procedural schedule and delay the effective date of CenturyLink’s proposed Next Generation 911 ESINET (NG9-1-1 ESINET) tariff.  Under the proposed schedule, the tariff would be effective January 19, 2018, testimony would be due January 31, 2018, and the hearing would be held May 14-16, 2018.   Currently the parties are scheduled for a hearing date of March 20-22, 2018, with a filing of CenturyLink’s testimony on December 20, 2017.  CenturyLink believes that a negotiated settlement to the proposed tariff has the potential to produce better policy in a shorter timeframe and they cannot reach a conclusion by the current deadline of December 20, 2017.

See TMI Blog "NG911 - The Next Frontier."

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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.