EchoStar’s purchase of Hughes could lead to a policy shift by the second company on the Universal Service revamp because the acquiree has voiced different positions on the issue from the acquirer, FCC filings show. Hughes, which has previously said satellite broadband should be left out of the USF and Connect America fund, could change its position if EchoStar takes over. A united satellite broadband front would “be a big positive for the industry and provide a very strong response to the FCC” General Counsel Lisa Scalpone of WildBlue said in an interview.

FCC review of the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile deal (CD Bulletin March 21) could take at least a year because the commission will review not only the deal’s impact on the national market but will go through individual markets around the country to assess the costs and benefits of the merger, an agency official said Monday. The commission is already trying to build up staff in the Wireless Bureau for the review, the official said. One name that has already surfaced is FCC economist Susan Singer, who had been detailed to the Office of Strategic Planning and may well be recalled to the Wireless Bureau to lead its review, the official said.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Regardless of what deals may be struck that reconfigure the wireless industry, carriers will need more spectrum, said Rick Kaplan, senior advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Kaplan declined to comment on AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile. (See separate story in this issue). The deal soon will be pending before commissioners. Genachowski did not release a statement on the merger after it was announced Sunday, but is slated to keynote at CTIA Tuesday.

FCC review of the proposed AT&T-T-Mobile deal could take at least a year, because the commission will review not only the deal’s impact on the national market, but will go through individual markets around the country to assess the costs and benefits of the merger, an agency official said Monday. The commission is already trying to build up staff in the Wireless Bureau for the review, the official said. One name that has already surfaced is FCC economist Susan Singer, who had been detailed to the Office of Strategic Planning, and may well be recalled to the Wireless Bureau to lead its review, the official said.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski plans to move forward on an ambitious agenda at the commission’s April 7 open meeting, he said Thursday, including a data roaming order that has strong support from many wireless carriers but is opposed by Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The agency will also take on pole attachment rules and increased regulation of wireless signal boosters, among other orders scheduled for a vote at the meeting.

The FCC went on the defensive Wednesday, saying it had implemented 80 percent of the National Broadband Plan, countering media reports that more than half of the plan’s recommendations were lingering in the agency’s backlog. Of the action items released in April, 80 percent have been completed, a commission spokesman said Wednesday. The broadband plan’s first anniversary is Thursday. The plan carried 218 recommendations with it, but only about half involved the FCC’s jurisdiction, the spokesman said. Another quarter involved Congress and the rest went to state and local regulators, the spokesman said.

The FCC went on the defensive Wednesday, saying it had implemented 80 percent of the National Broadband Plan, countering media reports that more than half of the plan’s recommendations were lingering in the agency’s backlog. Of the action items released in April, 80 percent have been completed, a commission spokesman said Wednesday. The broadband plan’s first anniversary is Thursday. The plan carried 218 recommendations with it, but only about half involved the FCC’s jurisdiction, the spokesman said. Another quarter involved Congress and the rest went to state and local regulators, the spokesman said.

The FCC is looking “forward to moving to an order” on Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation overhaul “within a few months” of the comment cycle’s end in May, the commissioners said in a blog post Tuesday. Saying “it’s going to be a busy spring and summer,” they said that the FCC’s first workshop on revamping intercarrier comp will be April 6. “At these workshops, we're looking forward to robust discussion with a diverse group of stakeholders,” they said.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission concluded that whether wireless, VoIP providers and interexchange carriers can be required to participate in a proposed universal service fund is ripe for decision by the commission. It said the fund was proposed as part of a comprehensive intrastate access revamp without a specific petition having been filed with it (CD March 3 p10). The commission said it has authority to require wireless, interconnected VoIP providers and interexchange carriers to contribute to a fund of that kind.

The current Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation regimes “make up a significant portion of rural local exchange carriers'” revenue, FairPoint Communications Chief Executive Officer Paul Sunu told FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at a recent dinner. Joining the chairman was his chief of staff, Eddie Lazarus and spokesman Josh Gottheimer, according to a FairPoint ex parte notice posted on the FCC website Monday. Sunu said he was worried that the commission is “shifting costs to the end-user,” which Sunu fears “may constrain the industry in light of increasing competitive pressures on end-user pricing.” Sunu also told the chairman and aides that the commission shouldn’t roll out reverse auctions without forcing ILECs to handle “carrier of last resort” obligations. FairPoint’s ex parte notice was posted to dockets 96-45, 01-92, 03-109, 05-337, 07-135, 10-90 and 09-51.