Seven telco groups asked the FCC to rethink its orders...
Seven telco groups asked the FCC to rethink its orders on eliminating duplicative Lifeline service. Last month, the commission directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. to have carriers contact Lifeline recipients whenever recipients are found to have broken the one-per-household…
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rule. The customer will be asked to choose which eligible telecommunications carriers is wanted and the other carrier will be dropped, under the FCC’s directive. CTIA, USTelecom, the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, Rural Cellular Association and Western Telecommunications Alliance filed a petition to challenge the directive. They said the FCC may violate the Administrative Procedure Act, because the Jan. 21 directive “purported to promulgate new rules without notice and comment.” The directive also exceeded the authority of the Wireline Bureau, the groups said. “Had the commission sought public comment on these directives before they were imposed, it would have learned that they are incomplete and that even setting aside the substantial burden they impose on ETCs and low income consumers, if implemented, they would be ineffective at preventing the recurrence of duplicate Lifeline subscriptions."