NARUC Telecom Committee OKs Resolutions with Minor Changes
The Telecom Committee passed five resolutions during its business meeting Tuesday during the NARUC summer committee meetings here in New York. The resolutions will be reviewed by the NARUC board Wednesday afternoon before being voted on by the organization officially. Three of the resolutions covered risk management and best practices for cybersecurity for communications providers, congressional action on the open Internet and eligible telecommunications carrier designations for Lifeline broadband services, as expected (see 1507020054). The resolutions passed with little discussion and had been edited lightly from their original versions.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Resolution TC-1 addresses the recommendations made in the FCC Communications, Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council Working Group IV. Rick Cimerman, NCTA vice president-state affairs, said his group appreciates that the wording of the resolution said “confidential information will be kept confidential” because that is “very important” for keeping states involved in sharing information with the federal government.
TC-2 calls for congressional action on net neutrality and ensures that NARUC has a seat at the table for any legislative action on the issue. California Public Utility Commissioner Catherine Sandoval recommended adding the word "proceedings" to the resolution because then it encompasses all kinds of discussions about the issue from Congress or the FCC or even state actions. That change was made and approved by the committee. Washington, D.C., Public Service Commissioner Betty Ann Kane clarified that NARUC has a seat at the table if any discussion opens up about net neutrality or if it just encourages Congress to take action. Florida Public Service Commissioner Ron Brise said it's possible that at some point that action will be taken by Congress: “We want to be in a position that if and when they do, that we have the cover of NARUC to proceed forward.”
TC-3 is a resolution on eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designations for Lifeline broadband service. There were a few small language edits to the resolution before it was approved by the committee. In opening it up to public comment at the meeting, Marsha Spellman, Converge Communications principal, said she wants to support the right of the states to have authority in these matters. Converge is a tribally owned telecom business in Oregon. "There are many companies coming in who want to go in on tribal lands and provide services with the ETC designation without having to have tribal engagement process," she said. "We've really been challenged on this by these companies and I think only the states who work closely with jurisdictions or tribes really understand the issues for their state. I'm concerned that if it just becomes a federal certification that the individual states will lose the right to say no to some of these companies." The resolution passed with no amendment.
Two resolutions honoring state officials who are no longer a part of NARUC or their state commissions passed. Honored were Iowa Utilities Board member Sheila Tipton and Karlen Reed, former director of the Competition Division of the Massachusetts Department of Telecom and Cable.
NARUC Notebook
NARUC created the Telecom Modernization Task Force that aims to be ready for whenever Congress decides it’s ready to update the 1996 Telecom Act, said Telecom Committee Chairman Chris Nelson during a committee business meeting at NARUC's summer committee meetings. Florida Public Service Commissioner Ron Brise will head the new task force, which also has members from the Telecom Committee such as Nelson, of South Dakota; and Commissioner Elliott Elam, of South Carolina. Members from outside of the Communications Committee are also on the task force, including NARUC President Lisa Edgar, of Florida. The task force was to hold its first meeting Tuesday evening.
Michigan Public Service Commissioner Sally Talberg was named to the FCC Universal Service Federal-State Joint Board as chairwoman, said NARUC Telecom Committee Chairman Chris Nelson during a business meeting at the association's summer committee meetings. The position was open following the resignation from the joint board of Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner James Cawley, Nelson said.