Today: NARUC Cybersecurity, Commissioner O'Rielly on Broadband, Mississippi Investigation of Reduced Rates for Deployed Servicemen

NARUC Cybersecurity Manual

NARUC announced release a new and updated third edition of Cybersecurity for State Regulators.  The new edition is updated to include the most recent guidelines and tools for regulators and the companies they regulate to improve security, with more than double the sample questions and guidance on how to use them.  This primer is important to regulators because it serves as a practical guide for state commissions to engage proactively and strategically with regulated industries,” said NARUC President Robert F. Powelson of Pennsylvania.  Cybersecurity for State Regulators, 3rd ed., can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/2kMv5qB on NARUC’s website.

FCC’s O’Rielly On Broadband Infrastructure Spending

In a blog posting, Commissioner O’Rielly said policymakers should be “leery of new communications infrastructure spending, as the last thing consumers or businesses need is an encore of the market distortions caused by the last Federal government economic stimulus efforts.”  If they do decide to allocate additional government spending to broadband infrastructure, he argues it should be “done in a way that does not harm competition in the marketplace, prevents bureaucrats from picking winners and losers, is technology agnostic, distributes resources in an effective and efficient manner, and does not undermine the FCC’s universal service high-cost program.”  He argues that any such additional spending should be directed into the FCC’s existing USF programs.  “Because the program is oversubscribed within the current budget there is room to inject funding without causing dramatic changes or jeopardizing its operation. In addition, the high-cost program can be extended quickly with existing agency personnel, resources and oversight, whereas creating new programs within other agencies would require rebuilding that infrastructure and accountability, adding time and expense.  In short, increasing the allocation with other resources would allow greater broadband expansion in a timely and more cost efficient manner, and with less influence peddling.”

Mississippi Investigation of Reduced Rates For Deployed Servicemen

The PSC has opened a proceeding to investigate and review whether the adoption of a reduced rate structure for the families of deployed military servicemen is permissible, appropriate, and in the public interest.  The  intent of the investigation and review is for informational purposes only; the evaluation of any proposals would take place in the context of separate proceedings.

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 form 477 Discussion Podcast with Don Witt and TMI's Hal Stringer