NTCA, Others Push Rural USF Recon Petitions Targeting More Funding, Flexibility
NTCA said the FCC should approve its petition for reconsideration of a USF overhaul for rate-of-return carriers, given the lack of any opposition to its requests and ITTA's support for some of them. The FCC should admit that its rules…
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will preclude most rural telcos from offering standalone broadband at rates reasonably comparable to urban rates, and either revisit its rate-of-return budget or suspend a requirement that carriers certify they are providing standalone broadband at reasonably comparable rates, said NTCA in reply comments, one of several replies posted Thursday and Friday in docket 10-90. NTCA also said it asked the agency to address concerns its new budget controls and "haircuts" would create an unlawful regulatory "black hole" into which carrier costs disappeared and were never recovered. GVNW Consulting, which works with rural carriers, agreed with NTCA's "black hole" description and proposal to either revisit the budget or suspend the stand-alone broadband certification requirement. GVNW also backed various WTA requests, including for the FCC to alter the definition of a qualifying unsubsidized competitor (which prevents an RLEC from receiving funding) as one that can provide the same broadband speeds as the incumbent, and to give carriers more flexibility on meeting buildout requirements. Custer Telephone Cooperative and other RLECs said there was no opposition to their petition for reconsideration of the agency decision to reduce support and add broadband buildout requirements for rate-of-return carriers remaining on revised legacy support mechanisms while shifting support to carriers electing model-based support. The National Tribal Telecommunications Association agreed with NTCA and WTA concerns about the budget and the need to ensure reasonable comparability, which NTTA believes is particularly appropriate regarding tribal areas. NTTA believes its proposed tribal broadband factor would help rate-of-return carriers provide tribal service. Sacred Wind Communications, which serves the Navajo Nation, agreed with WTA that qualifying competitors should be held to the same broadband speed standards as incumbent rural carriers, and said there should be a streamlined extension process for meeting buildout duties.