Global Crossing supported Verizon’s proposal to revamp intercarrier compensation and the Universal Service Fund (CD Sept 15 p2). In a meeting last week with the Wireline Bureau, the Internet backbone provider said the FCC should move to a $0.0007 terminating rate over three years and adopt a numbers-based system for USF contribution, according to an ex parte filing. But Global Crossing urged the FCC to include transport and “proceed quickly” with revamping originating access. “Even if the Commission creates lower and more uniform termination rates, access customers will see only limited benefits of those reforms if the Commission retains the existing outdated and artificial classifications of originating traffic,” it said. To avoid massive reconfiguration costs after the FCC imposes the overhaul, the agency should give carriers an 18-month window to make changes without incurring fees, Global Crossing said. “Reconfiguration of just one circuit can cost up to $20,000 or more, plus any early termination penalties that may apply for the remaining term of the underlying contract,” it said. The FCC should reject Verizon’s proposal to allow its affiliated CMRS provider to start imposing termination charges on interconnection partners, the company said. It believes the FCC should eventually set “default interconnection and intercarrier compensation rules based on bill and keep principles,” and “CMRS providers today are closer to such an ideal than any other segment” of the industry, it said. And Global Crossing urged the FCC to “narrowly tailor” any access recovery mechanism it sets up, to avoid delaying investment in IP technology.
Keep interconnected VoIP eligible for Universal Service Fund E-Rate schools and libraries support, a cross section of industry and E-Rate applicants said in Thursday comments on a rulemaking. But commenters differed on funding year 2009 eligibility for filtering software, dark fiber and other new services.
Keep interconnected VoIP eligible for Universal Service Fund E-Rate schools and libraries support, a cross section of industry and E-Rate applicants said in Thursday comments on a rulemaking. But commenters differed on funding year 2009 eligibility for filtering software, dark fiber and other new services.
Congress should promote broadband deployment through public-private partnerships and change the Universal Service Fund to eliminate waste, said HR-1457, introduced this week by Rep. Robert Latta, R-Ohio. The U.S. should promote investment through deregulation and market competition, the resolution said. Congress should make additional spectrum available for commercial offerings through auctions without imposing severe conditions on spectrum use, and set a national goal for data and video transmissions at “increasingly higher speeds.” The resolution calls for stronger patent protection and privacy protections that don’t hurt market efficiency. Latta titled the resolution, “Get Out of the Way and Stay Out of the Way.”
Congress should promote broadband deployment through public-private partnerships and change the Universal Service Fund to eliminate waste, said HR-1457, introduced this week by Rep. Robert Latta, R-Ohio. The U.S. should promote investment through deregulation and market competition, the resolution said. Congress should make additional spectrum available for commercial offerings through auctions without imposing severe conditions on spectrum use, and set a national goal for data and video transmissions at “increasingly higher speeds.” The resolution calls for stronger patent protection and privacy protections that don’t hurt market efficiency. Latta titled the resolution, “Get Out of the Way and Stay Out of the Way.”
Embarq filed a plan to more narrowly target Universal Service Fund support. Embarq urged the FCC to target USF support to price-cap study areas on a wire-center basis, rather than the current implicit-support method that uses study area averaging. The carrier previewed the plan earlier this month with the Wireline Bureau (CD Sept 2 p6). The Thursday filing, which included a letter to commissioners and a 47-page white paper, varies slightly in specifics, but mostly fleshes out what it pitched then, an Embarq spokesman said.
The FCC wants comment on two carriers’ requests to review Universal Service Administrative Co. decisions, the agency said in public notices Wednesday. CTE Telecom disputes a USAC ruling saying CTE inaccurately designated certain revenue as enhanced services, rather than as DSL services. NextGen Telephone disputes a USAC ruling saying NextGen should report subscriber line charges as interstate revenue subject to federal Universal Service Fund contribution. NextGen said the charge should be allocated by usage, because the carrier levies the charge on all customers, including ones without interstate service. Comments on each are due Oct. 17, and replies Nov. 3.
The FCC wants comment on an Iowa petition related to recent storms and flooding in the state. Last month, Iowa asked the FCC to help it repair $3 million in damages by reopening the Universal Service Fund E-rate program 2008 filing window (CD Aug 26 p8). Comments are due Oct. 1; replies Oct. 8.
The Texas Public Utility Commission revised reporting requirements for telecom carriers who receive state high-cost universal service subsidies and adopted a new rule requiring review of the state high-cost fund within 90 days of FCC adoption of new or amended rules for the federal high-cost fund. The PUC (Case 35632) said the reports must show how a carrier applied its subsidies in each study area for each calendar quarter, and they must be broken out by individual operating unit. The PUC said reports that aggregate data across multiple operating units or study areas won’t comply with the order. It also said the reports will be a public record. Previous rules called for annual reports and allowed aggregation of data across multiple study areas and operating units. The new rules take effect immediately. The change resulted from an agreement adopted in April that will reduce the large-carrier portion of the state high-cost fund by 36.5 percent ($144 million) in stages through 2012 through changes such as ending support in deregulated urban and suburban exchanges. The settlement required a review of reporting requirements to make the state fund’s support more visible to the public.
Moving to numbers-based Universal Service Fund contribution is a “reasonable approach,” but the change by itself isn’t sustainable long term, said the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies. To be effective, a revamp must increase the contribution base, OPASTCO said. The FCC should require all facilities-based broadband Internet providers, regardless of platform, to “contribute equitably to the federal USF,” it said.