Lifeline, FCC Process Overhaul, Rights of Way, IP Transition Subjects of NARUC Draft Resolutions for Upcoming Meeting
The telecom committee at NARUC's annual winter committee meetings, beginning Feb. 13 in Washington, will consider four draft resolutions -- none of which is expected to be controversial, state commissioners told us in interviews Thursday. One of the resolutions focuses on Lifeline overhaul and keeping the states involved in the process so as to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Another would support preserving the fundamental features of legacy services during the IP transition. A third resolution backs streamlined access to rights of way on federal lands to accelerate broadband deployment. The last is on FCC process overhaul. The resolutions shouldn't cause much fuss, South Dakota Public Service Commissioner Chris Nelson, chair of the telecom committee, told us Thursday. "Nobody has contacted me in opposition to any of these and nobody has indicated to me that they expect them to be controversial."
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The Lifeline resolution urges the FCC to endorse a state role in a newly reformed federal Lifeline enrollment/de-enrollment process, said Idaho Public Utilities Commissioner Paul Kjellander, who's co-sponsoring the resolution with Florida Public Service Commissioner Ronald Brisé. The resolution aims to centralize the Lifeline functions with expert agencies to reduce waste, fraud and abuse, Kjellander said. With the resolution, NARUC is encouraging states to work with the FCC to facilitate access to state social service databases for the purpose of verifying a Lifeline service applicant’s eligibility of the program, he said. “It's about the states roles -- it's not out there trying to poke any federal agency in the eye,” Kjellander said. "It's more us saying 'Hey, look, we're here.' This is something that the states have had a long running interest in and not only concerns about the waste, fraud and abuse piece, but something they can do to help the process run more smoothly."
Nebraska Public Service Commissioner Crystal Rhoades is sponsoring two of the four telecom resolutions. The first aims to streamline permits for telecommunication lines on federal lands, she told us. The current process is long and complicated, requiring approvals from multiple agencies, Rhoades said. “We are trying to get a simplified process that is more efficient,” she said. Rhoades’ other resolution, on the IP transition, says that as new technology is implemented, service requirements for similar current technology should be continued to protect consumers and so service doesn't suffer to things such as 911, for example, Rhoades said.
The final draft resolution before the telecom committee is about FCC process overhaul, an issue currently before Congress, Brisé told us in an email. The FCC also has an open docket on process reform. The resolution comes from NARUC’s Telecommunications Act Modernization Task Force, chaired by Brisé. What has been filed so far is an overview of some of NARUC’s established positions on changes, but the committee is looking to further refine the language of the resolution by the beginning of the meetings, he said. “We look at this resolution as an opportunity to continue our dialogue on best practices and ensuring that the public’s interest in transparency and efficiency is satisfied,” Brisé said. “It is an issue of good governance, good policymaking, and transparency.”