FCC May Open Meeting Agenda

• Toll Free Number Auction – A Public Notice seeking comment on proposed procedures for conducting and participating in an auction of toll free numbers in the 833 code.
• Regulatory Fees NPRM – A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on proposed regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2019.
• Video Relay Service Rules – A Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would adopt measures, and seek comment on others, to improve Video Relay Service (VRS), expand access to direct video communications, and protect the VRS program against waste, fraud, and abuse.
• Reallocating the 1675–1680 MHz Band – A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would seek comment on reallocating the 1675-1680 MHz band for shared use between incumbent federal operations and non-federal fixed or mobile (except aeronautical mobile) operations.
• FM Translator Interference Rules – A Report and Order that would adopt streamlined rules relating to interference caused by FM translators and expedite the translator interference complaint resolution process.
• China Mobile USA Application – A Memorandum Opinion and Order that would deny the application of China Mobile USA for a Section 214 authorization to provide international facilities-based and resale telecommunications services between the United States and foreign points. 
• Satellite Authorization for Theia – A Memorandum Opinion Order and Authorization that would grant Theia’s request to deploy and operate a proposed non-geostationary satellite constellation to provide earth imaging services around the world.

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 The Regulatory Mix Today:  FCC May Open Meeting Agenda, Senators Urge FCC To Reject Line Item Charges for TRS Services

Senators Urge FCC To Reject Line Item Charges for TRS Services 

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-18) sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai urging the FCC to deny a petition by the ITTA-Voice of America’s Broadband Providers that would permit carriers to list the federal TRS charge as a separate line item on customer bills.  They said, in part: “Such billing practices have not and should not be permissible and would constitute a direct assault on the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.  Congress passed the ADA to guarantee equal opportunity and to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities, and granting this petition would instead encourage such discrimination….To specifically identify the cost of any ADA service (whether it be for a handicap accessible ramp or TRS) on any consumer or corporate bill in the form of a surcharge, fee, or any other form of a line-item discriminates against and ostracizes people with disabilities.  Highlighting such costs creates an unacceptable environment where individuals with disabilities are seen as a ‘cost burden’ to society.  This is exactly what the passage of the ADA attempted to prevent.”

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s 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 an Inteserra Briefing.