Today:  FCC’s Pai On the Digital Divide, Connecticut ROW Facilities Database,  Canada: New Area Code Assigned

FCC’s Pai On the Digital Divide

In a speech entitled “Bringing The Benefits Of The Digital Age To All Americans” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai identified his four guiding principles as follows: the importance of digital empowerment, the need for ubiquitous Internet access, the power of competitive free markets, and light-touch regulation.  Chairman Pai went on to outline his plans to translate these principles into policies to promote infrastructure and innovation.

Connecticut ROW Facilities Database

In a DRAFT Final Decision the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (Authority) recommends a “comprehensive public rights of way facilities database that should be developed and populated by the State’s telephone and electric distribution companies.”  This is part of the DRAFT decision that would approve a compromised approach to settle some disagreements between the parties concerning overlash provisions.  The Authority anticipates that the Connecticut Utility Pole (CUP) database could provide the SPAs (single pole administrators) and the LECs with the ability to perform a detailed pole loading analysis as facilities are added and removed from the utility poles located in the public right of way.  The Authority also expects that it would assist prospective attachers as they perform their own pole loading analysis when needed for overlashing approvals or attaching new facilities in the communications gain. TMI Briefing Service subscribers watch for our Briefing after the DRAFT is approved.

Canada: New Area Code Assigned

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) determined that area code relief for area code 709 in Newfoundland and Labrador is to be provided by implementing a distributed overlay of new area code 879, effective November 24, 2018.  The area code 709 consists of 211 Exchange Areas serving the province of Newfoundland and Labrador which includes the major communities of Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls, Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Labrador City – Wabush, Marystown, and St. John’s.  Customers in that province will be transitioned to 10-digit local dialing, beginning August 17, 2018, as part of the implementation of the distributed overlay.  The CRTC approved the relief implementation plan that was submitted by the relief planning committee.  (See also NANPA Planning Letter 503.)

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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.

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