NARUC MOVES RESOLUTIONS ON BROADBAND, IP TELEPHONY, CARRIER CHANGES

Broadband resolution urged Congress, FCC, NTIA and other policymakers to take steps to encourage innovative wireless broadband deployment, ensure there was adequate unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other technologies for competitive wireless broadband and address impediments that could limit innovation in broadband access devices. Internet telephony resolution urged FCC to confirm its tentative 1998 conclusion that some phone-to-phone calls placed with voice over Internet protocols (VoIP) are telecom services, and to convene a joint conference to address impacts of VoIP on jurisdictional rate and separations issues and on intercarrier compensation regimes.

Spam resolution, which cleared deeply divided staff subcommittee by only one vote, deplored spam e-mails and urged Congress, FTC and “other authorized agencies” to take steps to restrict spam and enforce those restrictions. States were divided on whether NARUC should become involved in area that was outside of state commission jurisdiction, but majority barely prevailed on ground that this was telecom-related consumer issue. Subcommittee also advanced consumer resolution commending FCC for rechartering Consumer Advisory Committee. That panel advises FCC on telecom consumer education, telecom access by disabled persons, consumer impacts of new telecom technologies and ways to encourage consumer participation in FCC proceedings.

Telecom Committee was expected to take up 5th policy resolution, which would encourage states to get involved with national Telecom Service Priority and Govt. Emergency Telecom System, which set aside certain circuits for emergency communications in disasters and which coordinate restoration efforts so emergency circuits are first ones restored. Resolution would urge all states to participate in those programs. Staff subcommittee took no action on that resolution so it goes directly to Telecom Committee.

Telecom staff subcommittee killed 2 proposed policy resolutions. First would have urged FCC to consider shifting universal service assessments from revenue basis to connection basis in its current review of universal service funding mechanisms. It would have suggested basing carrier contributions on phone numbers assigned to end-users and on capacity of private lines sold to end-users. It said such shift would advance policy goal of conserving number supplies and encouraging efficient use of numbering resources. But resolution foundered when many states expressed doubt that change to number-based universal service contribution would have any meaningful effect on number conservation. Other states said proposed change effectively would exempt interexchange carriers from universal service contributions because they didn’t assign any phone numbers to end-users but merely used numbers that already existed.

Second failed telecom resolution addressed communications spectrum needs for managing critical energy and water infrastructures. It was dismissed when telecom staff subcommittee and ad hoc committee on critical infrastructure agreed time wasn’t ripe to pursue issue. It would have urged FCC and Congress to take steps that would facilitate development of wireless communications systems shared by energy and water companies and would protect radio spectrum on private land mobile radio bands that energy and water companies might need in future to operate and manage their infrastructures.

Two more telecom-related policy resolutions were advanced by NARUC’s consumer affairs staff subcommittee. One urged FCC to open rulemaking to develop mandatory minimum requirements for exchange of customer account information between carriers when customer made change. Resolution said AT&T, Sprint and WorldCom had asked FCC to implement minimum standards, and states had received complaints from customers about misbillings that arose because of botched carrier changes. Resolution said standards could include mandatory customer data fields that must be exchanged and timetables for exchange of account information.

Second consumer affairs staff subcommittee resolution commended wireless carriers that had made requests for wireless number portability in major wireless markets and encouraged FCC to either change portability rules to eliminate requirement that carriers first must request wireless portability to start process in particular market or allow states to make requests to implement wireless portability before FCC’s Nov. 24 deadline. Both will be addressed by NARUC’s Consumer Affairs Committee.