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 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 January 17, 2017, to object to the disclosure of their data and information to any of the parties on the list. All of the listed persons are with the California Public Utilities Commission.
FCC Clarifies BIAS Lifeline Obligations
The FCC clarified the extent of the obligation of eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that are subject to high-cost public interest broadband obligations to offer stand-alone broadband Internet access service (BIAS) as part of their Lifeline service. The FCC said that if an ETC offers standalone BIAS in a portion of its service area that receives high-cost support, the ETC must allow eligible consumers to apply the Lifeline discount to that standalone service. If, however, an ETC does not currently offer a standalone BIAS plan in areas where it is receiving high-cost support, it is not required to create a new standalone BIAS offering.
Florida Annual Lifeline Report
The PSC annual Lifeline report shows that approximately one out of every eleven Florida households–or 852,255 eligible telecommunications customers–participate in the federal Lifeline Assistance (Lifeline) discount telephone program. In Florida, 19 telecommunication companies participate in the federal Lifeline program. As a result of Florida Lifeline participation, USAC Low Income disbursements for Florida ETCs for the 12-month period ending June 2016 totaled approximately $92 million. “Lifeline provides the assistance many Floridians need to afford phone service to connect with family, friends, doctors, and employers,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “With the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) new Lifeline rules, effective earlier this month, consumers can now apply their monthly Lifeline benefit toward broadband service, connecting them to voice and broadband services.” Click here to see the full Lifeline report.
Maine Review of FairPoint Communications/Consolidated Communications
The PUC opened a proceeding to review the proposed transaction between FairPoint Communications and Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc,. Under the terms of the transaction, Consolidated will acquire all of the outstanding equity interests in FairPoint in exchange for Consolidated stock. Consolidated will become the holding company of FairPoint. A conference is scheduled to be held on January 11, 2017.
