I-Wireless, Head Start, Petitions Opposed by NASUCA
The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates opposed petitions by i-Wireless and Head Start, both of which ask the FCC to forbear from enforcing a requirement that eligible telecom carriers offering Lifeline service provide service at least partly over their own facilities. Both companies are resellers which offer service using other carrier’s facilities. The National Emergency Number Association also raised concerns, saying the FCC should impose the same E-911 requirements imposed on wireless resellers TracFone and Virgin Wireless.
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I-Wireless, which has 125,000 customers as a reseller of the Sprint PCS wireless network, filed a forbearance petition at the FCC on March 31, on which the Wireline Bureau subsequently sought comment. “Enforcement of the facilities- based requirement for i-Wireless is not necessary to protect consumers,” the company said. “I-Wireless will provide significant benefits to consumers, especially low income consumers, by offering them alternatives for affordable wireless telecommunications services.”
Head Start, which has customers in Oklahoma and is ETC- certified there, filed a forbearance petition on May 15. “In the robustly competitive wireless market, Head Start will compete against other carriers, including prepaid and postpaid providers, to offer customers the lowest priced and highest quality services,” it said. “This competition ensures that Head Start offers its customers just, reasonable, and non-discriminatory rates and terms.”
“Although NASUCA fully supports increasing the options available to Lifeline-eligible consumers, it does not appear that the Commission can find that forbearance is in the public interest without more specificity as to how i-Wireless and Head Start plan to apply the federal support that they will receive upon designation as Lifeline ETCs,” NASUCA said. “Both i-Wireless and Head Start deplore the current low levels of Lifeline subscription and assert the benefits of adding their services as ETC services, including the benefits to competition. Yet without knowing the rates that would ultimately be paid by Lifeline customers of i-Wireless and Head Start, it is impossible to know whether the addition of another Lifeline ETC (or two) would benefit consumers.”
NENA said both i-Wireless and Head Start did not discuss a key E-911 commitment in their respective petitions: “This is the requirement that TracFone and Virgin Mobile self- certify ‘full compliance with any applicable [state] 911/E911 obligations, including obligations relating to the provision, and support, of 911 and E911 service.'” NENA said any grant of forbearance to Head Start or i-Wireless should “be conditioned in the same manner.”