THE REGULATORY MIX AND BLOG ARTICLES

Technologies Management, Inc. is pleased to announce that David J. Malfara, Sr., President and CEO of the ETC Group, LLC, will be providing a series of guest blog articles for TMI subscribers this fall. We are very excited to have Dave’s unique business, technology, and engineering perspectives in this timely commentary. We are confident that our blog readers will find the information that he shares extremely valuable.

One of my responsibilities as an Associate Consultant at Technologies Management, Inc. is to ensure that our client's tariffs are compliant with federal and state rules and regulations. This includes preparing revisions to implement any changes. As more and more states are relaxing the requirements for tariff filings and/or allowing optional or voluntary detariffing, it has become somewhat of a dilemma for carriers as to whether they should keep a tariff on file with the Commission or withdraw it.

If you have been anxiously anticipating the OMB approval and filing due date for the new FCC High Cost/Lifeline annual report Form 481, we have it at last! October 15, 2013. Are you currently an FCC-approved ETC providing High Cost/Lifeline services? Don’t forget the requirements of each state. Even though we have a due date for the FCC Form 481, telecom companies/ETCs cannot rest on their laurels. Some states just want copies, but you have to file under specific dockets. Some states require copies and additional state information. Others want something else entirely, and every state has a different due date that may or may not coincide with the FCC due date.

A recent comment on our Special Access blog (dated 8/5/13)asked if the data collection had passed the PRA analysis yet. A good question. But it suggested another one: what is the PRA anyway?

A new law in Texas will authorize the creation of a fourth entity, a Regional Emergency Communications District, that can assess 9-1-1 emergency service fees.  The law will become effective September 1, 2013, but no fees can be assessed until all affected counties and municipalities authorize the assessment fees. A separate law, also effective September 1, 2013, modernizes the definition of 9-1-1 service for all authorized 9-1-1 fees.

The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of 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 Regulatory Bulletin.

The summer of 2013 has been another busy one for Technologies Management, Inc. Recent states' activities have made our efforts on behalf of VoIP Service Providers especially hot, like our Florida weather.  Identifying the regulatory obligations that apply (or do not apply) in any state is a daunting task for VoIP companies. Our regulatory monitoring team and our consulting experts carefully watch every jurisdiction as state utility commissions and state legislatures weigh in on whether to regulate VoIP Service Providers.

When a major carrier disputes your Switched Access bills, it can be intimidating. Not that these carriers intentionally come across that way -- I’ve seen plenty of very polite correspondence on the subject from the large carriers. And to be fair, sometimes their skepticism about CLEC access rates is warranted. Not every CLEC has always made sure its access services are properly priced, tariffed, and billed.