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.
FCC on Digital Infrastructure
The FCC’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis released a white paper on Improving the Nation’s Digital Infrastructure. The paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion about a national infrastructure plan by highlighting three points relevant to communications. They are:
(1) improving the nation’s digital infrastructure should be a significant part of any national infrastructure plan, as the economic upside for the country from accelerating investment in broadband is likely greater than from most other areas of infrastructure investment:
(2) the primary goal of federal actions with respect to digital infrastructure should be to increase and accelerate profitable, incremental, private-sector investment to achieve at least 98% nationwide deployment of future-proofed, fixed broadband networks; and
(3) the policy measures that can be used to achieve this goal are: direct funding support to reduce the cost of capital; changes to the tax code to increase the return on invested capital; and operations-related actions that enhance the productivity of capex.
FCC Lifeline Broadband Provider Designations
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau conditionally designated AR Designs; Kajeet Inc.; Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Northland Cable; and Wabash Independent Networks, Inc. as LBPs, eligible to receive Lifeline BIAS support solely in their designated service areas. The designated service areas are as follows:
- AR Designs: the mixed-income housing development of Oakwood Shores, IL (ZIP codes 60653, 60615, and 60637);
- Kajeet Inc.: all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, exclusive of Tribal Lands;
- Liberty Cablevision: all ZIP codes in Puerto Rico except: 00775 (Culbera); 00606 (Maricao); and, 00765 (Vieques);
- Northland Cable: Alabama, California, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington; and
- Wabash Independent Networks: 430 census blocks located in Illinois.
The designations are conditioned upon compliance with the Communications Act and relevant FCC rules.
Michigan Lifeline Program Expands
The PSC announced that the Lifeline telephone discount program has been expanded to include participants in the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefits Program. This is due to the FCC Lifeline modernization decision. TMI Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 5/9/16 and 10/6/16. Click here for details about the Michigan Lifeline program.
