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.
CRTC Video Relay Service
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the Canadian Administrator of the Video Relay Service (VRS) announced the launch of Video Relay Service. This will enable people with hearing or speech disabilities who use sign language to communicate with voice telephone users. Canadians can register to the service through the SRV Canada VRS website.
FCC Communications Act Update
In a statement released 9/28/16, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said he applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for unanimously passing S. 253, the Communications Act Update of 2016. He said “I commend Chairman Fred Upton and Ranking Member Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee as well as Chairman Greg Walden and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee for advancing this bipartisan legislation that would improve rural communications, crack down on robocalls, and protect public safety, including by promoting direct dial 911. This is straightforward, good-government legislation, and I hope that the U.S. Senate will act quickly to send this bill to the President for his signature.”
California Call Completion
The PUC seeks comments (by October 7, 2016) regarding issues raised at the Workshop held on September 20, 2016, as part of its investigation of intrastate rural call completion issues. The Workshop Report is available on the PUC’s website in Investigation 14-05-012 (I1405012). Monitoring call completion failures, false disconnected messages, inability to place collect calls over VoIP-based phone services, pole and line safety, dial tone and emergency 9-1-1 issues, service issues, and customer report tools are among the issued identified by the PUC.
Maryland CLEC Tariff Ruling
The PSC suspended the procedural schedule and therefore, the evidentiary hearing scheduled for 11/7/16, in its proceeding to determine whether CLECs with 20,000 or fewer subscribers to should be required to file a tariff. Staff determined that all of the CLECs authorized to provide local exchange telephone service in Maryland have 20,000 or fewer subscribers. Staff believes that the majority of CLECs maintain websites where information concerning their service offerings, including rates, terms, and conditions, may be posted.
