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 California Lifeline Waiver
The California PUC filed a Petition asking the FCC to waive its new Lifeline eligibility and benefit portability rules until October 31, 2017. The CPUC also requested approval to continue to enroll consumers in the federal Lifeline program under the CPUC’s existing rules and process and allow consumers to receive federal support during this time. The CPUC said that the California LifeLine Administrator and the California LifeLine providers said they need 11 to 18 months to make the necessary changes to their systems. In addition, the CPUC is in the process of revising its policies in response to both the FCC’s changes to the federal program and a new law in California that requires it to adopt state-specific benefit portability rules by January 15, 2017 . The CPUC said that by December 2016, it will have adopted a policy framework that will enable the Administrator to start developing administrative, information technology, and electronic mechanisms and procedures.
Idaho Permissive 10-Digit Dialing
The PUC issued a Press Release announcing that permissive 10-digit dialing in the 208 area code will begin 11/8/16. In 2015, the PUC adopted an all services distributed overlay as the relief plan for the 208 NPA and approved a 16-month implementation plan for the new 986 area code. TMI Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 12/28/15. The permissive dialing period will continue for nine months and will include an educational campaign from telecommunication providers. 10-digit dialing begins in August 2017. The 986 area code will be issued to new telephone numbers beginning next fall.
Missouri Lifeline Eligibility Criteria Waiver
On 10/25/16 a large group of telecommunications companies filed a joint application asking the PSC to temporarily waive application of the state Lifeline Program eligibility criteria when upcoming changes to the federal Lifeline Program eligibility criteria become effective until 4 CSR 240-31.120(1)(A) is updated to mirror the federal criteria. The PSC directed its Staff to file a recommendation regarding the waiver application no later than 11/8/16. Any other party wishing to offer a recommendation regarding the application should do so no later than 11/8/16.
New York 838 NPA
The PSC approved an area code overlay in the 518 area code region in September 2016. The NANPA announced that the new area code will be 838; it will serve counties in eastern upstate New York. NANPA’s Planning Letter (PL) sets forth the industry’s consensus decisions with regard to implementation dates and the dialing plan for the implementation of the 838 NPA. The Plan includes a five-month period for permissive dialing followed by permanent 10-digit dialing with an intercept message. TMI Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 10/19/16.
