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

      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 special access data collection (SADC).  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 July 22, 2016, to object to the disclosure of their data and information to any of the parties on the list.

Indiana

The IURC has established a new subdocket, 42144 S5, to conduct the required qualifications test for Indiana Universal Service Fund (IUSF) recipients.  (Telecommunications companies that want to continue to receive IUSF support are required to complete a Qualifications Test once every three years to determine their continued eligibility.)  All providers currently receiving disbursements from the IUSF must complete the Qualifications Test forms using the FCC Part 32 financial statements for the calendar years ending 2013, 2014, and 2015.  The forms are due by August 26, 2016.

Vermont

The Public Service Board announced the formation of a working group (pursuant to Act 174) to review the current processes for citizen participation in PSB proceedings.  The mission of the Act 174 Working Group is to make recommendations to promote increased ease of citizen participation in those proceedings.  As part of this review, the Working Group will prepare and submit written recommendations in December of 2016 to the House and Senate Committees on Natural Resources and Energy, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Joint Energy Committee.

The Act 174 Working Group will be comprised of the following members:  Senator Virginia Lyons, Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy; Representative Tony Klein, House Committee on Natural Resources and Energy; Superior Court Judge Robert Mello; Commissioner Christopher Recchia, Vermont Department of Public Service; and Board Member Margaret Cheney, Vermont Public Service Board.  The group’s first meeting will be held on August 5, 2016, in Montpelier, Vermont.  The meeting is open to the public.