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 Consumer Complaint Center
In a blog posting, the Chief of the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau announced an enhancement to the FCC’s Consumer Help Center. The new feature, called “Tell Your Story” gives consumers a new way to share their concerns and observations about a provider, a policy, or an issue affecting them or their communities generally. “Tell Your Story” comments will not be formally served on the provider. Instead, they will be used by FCC staff to “inform policy making and identify practices that may be ripe for potential enforcement action.” The blog goes on to say that “[w]hether you are confused, frustrated, or feel you’ve been harmed, we want to hear from you. With the insights we gain, we can identify trends and ensure that we remain aware of the issues and concerns that matter most to consumers across the country.” The redesigned Help Center webpage also provides easier access to all of the FCC’s consumer guides as well as the latest updates to consumer-related information on the FCC’s website.
FCC Business Data Service Data Collection (SADC)
The FCC released another list of additional parties that have signed an acknowledgement of confidentiality (AOC) and that seek to review the data gathered through the FCC’s Business Data Services (special access) data collection. The list includes persons that signed an AOC since the FCC’s last Public Notice. Companies that submitted confidential or highly confidential information in response to the SADC have until November 4, 2016, to object to the disclosure of their data and information to any of the parties on the list.
Utah CenturyLink Lifeline Waiver
The PSC is seeking comment on a Petition for Waiver filed by CenturyLink that seeks to use the same eligibility requirements for both the state and federal Lifeline programs. CenturyLink said that unless the eligibility requirements are aligned, a customer would have to complete a state application and a federal application in order to qualify for both programs. The PSC seeks comment on whether it is appropriate to adopt the new, federal Lifeline eligibility criteria even though it might disqualify individuals who otherwise would qualify for the state Lifeline subsidy. It also asks questions about the eligibility criteria for the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit Program and whether the criteria are consistent with the Utah Lifeline rules. Comments are due November 9, 2016; reply comments are due November 16, 2016.
