High-cost universal service support is being distributed properly...
High-cost universal service support is being distributed properly despite claims by General Communication Inc. (GCI) that ILEC payments must be reduced when competitors take their customers, 6 telecom associations told the FCC. GCI in June asked the FCC Wireline…
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Bureau to instruct the Universal Service Administrative Co. to alter its method of distributing universal service payments because the FCC’s 1997 Fourth Reconsideration Order on universal service called for such “subtraction” of payments. The telecom associations argued that the 4th order was supplanted by the Ninth Report and Order in 1999, which eliminated the subtraction language: “GCI’s request fails to recognize that the methodology changes made in the Ninth Report and Order… rendered the ‘ILEC support subtraction’ language… superfluous.” The companies also argued that “the rule provision that GCI seeks to have restored was shown to be unworkable, unnecessary and anti-competitive more than 6 years ago and should not be resurrected at this late date.” The filing was submitted by the Independent Telephone & Telecom Alliance, National Exchange Carrier Assn., National Telecom Co-op Assn., OPASTCO, USTelecom (USTA) and Western Telecom Alliance. USTA also filed separately (CD Aug 19 p5).