Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., supports a net neutrality law to empower the FCC to pursue discrimination complaints against network operators, Obama technology adviser and ex- FCC Chairman William Kennard told C-Span’s Communicators. Kennard termed recent FCC censure of Comcast for blocking file sharing traffic a “tentative” first step, but said agency jurisdiction is “murky” and could lead to lengthy legal appeals.
By failing to count the activities of small sellers in venues such as eBay, e-commerce surveys by the government and others have underestimated the revenue from online retailing by to up $30 billion, University of Maryland researchers said Monday. Unlike offline retailing, the small players in e- commerce form a relatively large chunk of the industry when counted together, they said in a conference call sponsored by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project.
To help it repair $3 million in damages caused by recent storms and flooding, the state of Iowa asked the FCC to reopen the Universal Service Fund E-rate program 2008 filing window. It wants affected eligible entities to get E-rate products and services at 90 percent discount, but only for reconstruction and temporary services, it said. The FCC should give Iowans relief such as it made available after Hurricane Katrina, it said. The FCC could use some of the $600 million in unused E-rate rollover funds toward the Iowa effort, the state said. “While the $3 million in E-rate eligible support is relatively small in comparison to the overall damage to Iowa schools and libraries, this assistance is vitally important to jumpstart replacement efforts of phone systems, local area and wide area networks,” Iowa said.
To help it repair $3 million in damages caused by recent storms and flooding, the state of Iowa asked the FCC to reopen the Universal Service Fund E-rate program 2008 filing window. It wants affected eligible entities to get E-rate products and services at 90 percent discount, but only for reconstruction and temporary services, it said. The FCC should give Iowans relief such as it made available after Hurricane Katrina, it said. The FCC could use some of the $600 million in unused E-rate rollover funds toward the Iowa effort, the state said. “While the $3 million in E-rate eligible support is relatively small in comparison to the overall damage to Iowa schools and libraries, this assistance is vitally important to jumpstart replacement efforts of phone systems, local area and wide area networks,” Iowa said.
Telecom and cable firms, states and others resisted an AT&T plan for an interim intercarrier-compensation revamp (CD Aug 13 p8). In comments last week, they urged the FCC to keep its eye on the comprehensive overhaul promised by Chairman Kevin Martin for November. Comments on an alternative interim proposal by Embarq are due Tuesday.
SES Americom will carry satellite integrator OnSat’s transponder service week-to-week until OnSat moves to another satellite provider, an OnSat spokesman told us Friday. SES’s contract with OnSat expired June 30. FCC interventions led SES to extend service twice. A fourth extension was to end Friday. To keep serving OnSat, SES Americom had to move it from AMC 2 to AMC 4.
Telecom and cable firms, states and others resisted an AT&T plan for an interim intercarrier-compensation revamp, particularly for VoIP calls. In comments last week, they urged the FCC to keep its eye on the comprehensive overhaul promised by Chairman Kevin Martin for November. Comments on an alternative interim proposal by Embarq are due Tuesday.
The California Public Utilities Commission took action on two universal service matters. First, the PUC unanimously approved a pre-qualification requirement for Lifeline to ensure customers aren’t back-billed if it’s later found they weren’t eligible for the discount. The PUC decided that, starting in July 2009, new applicants won’t receive the Lifeline discount until a third-party administrator has verified their eligibility. The PUC (Case R-04-12-001) said the state traditionally approved the discount without independent verification of eligibility, but new FCC guidelines adopted in May required income verification for initial and continued participation. The result was that up to 50 percent of new applicants ultimately were deemed ineligible and were back-billed for service and installation, which was seen as a major financial burden on low-income households. The PUC said the pre-qualification program will ensure that the nation’s largest state Lifeline program provides benefits only to those actually qualified to receive them. Second, the PUC approved a total $512 million budget for the state’s four universal service programs that provide support for high-cost areas, advanced services to schools and libraries, telecom relay service and adaptive telecom equipment for handicapped persons. The total for the 2009-10 fiscal period is $317 less than the amount approved for the current 2008-09 fiscal period. The biggest cut was a $400 million reduction in the high-cost Fund B for large incumbents, to just $51.5 million, reflecting changes made to that program. Some of that reduction was offset by a $27 million expansion of the California Teleconnect Fund for schools and libraries, to $60.3 million, and a $34 million total increase in the relay service and adaptive equipment programs, to a total $331 million.
The Senate Commerce Committee will look far different in the 110th Congress, pending the result of Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid and Sen. Robert Byrd’s decision to remain appropriations chairman. If he is elected president, McCain, R-Ariz., would vacate his seat on the committee that for nearly 10 years he either chaired or was ranking member of. Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, is expected to be tapped for appropriations chairman if Byrd, D-W.Va., vacates his post for health reasons.
The FCC seeks comments on six requests to waive Universal Service Fund high-cost filing deadlines, filed July 1 to Aug. 8. Petitions were filed by Windstream, H&B Cable, Flat Rock Telephone Co-Op, Western New Mexico Telephone, Yukon Telephone, and joint filers Northern New England Telephone and Telephone Operating Company of Vermont. Comments are due Sept. 19, replies Oct. 6.