FCC USAC Board Appointments
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced the appointment of six members to the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). They are: Joel Lubin, Consultant, AT&T (Representative for ILECs); Robert Bocher, Consultant, Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction (Representative for libraries that are eligible to receive discounts under the E-rate program); Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, Executive Director, American Association School Administrators (Representative for schools that are eligible to receive discounts under the E-rate program); Cynthia Kinser, Deputy Attorney General, Office of the Tennessee Attorney General (Representative for state consumer advocates); Matt Gerst, Director for Regulatory Affairs, CTIA (Representative for commercial mobile radio service providers); and Beth Choroser, Vice President of Regulatory, Comcast Corporation (Representative for cable operators).
FCC Inmate Calling Service (ICS)
FCC Commissioner Clyburn posted a blog entitled “The 12 Days of #PhoneInjustice Redux” and has been on a tweetstorm over the past few days highlighting several examples of bad practices concerning the nation's inmate calling services regime. She laments that in many city and county jails the costs for intrastate ICS calls remain very high despite the FCC’s attempts at reform. She said that ICS providers “continue to fight to keep their excessive profits flowing,” citing as an example the practice of adding the now disallowed ancillary fees into the rates for the first minute of a call and lowering the prepaid account maximum deposit so that consumers must keep paying fees to add to the account. Similarly, many jurisdictions award exclusive contracts on the basis of the highest payment to the facility and this in turn increases ICS rates. She offered praise for the states and localities “moving forward, instituting changes, and making tough decision to forgo financial gains for the betterment of the correctional officers, inmates, and the loved ones left behind,” and for recent Congressional efforts to bring attention to these issues.
California Transfer of Control of Webpass
Webpass Telecommunications and Google Fiber filed a joint application for approval of a transfer of control of Webpass. A prehearing conference is scheduled for January 12, 2017, to determine the parties, positions of the parties, issues, and other procedural matters.