Multiple parties in Oregon want the FCC to change its...
Multiple parties in Oregon want the FCC to change its Lifeline rules. The FCC should kill the requirement that state Lifeline administrators send subscribers’ Lifeline certification forms to eligible telecom carriers before the carriers can claim reimbursement, said the Oregon…
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Public Utility Commission staff and the Oregon Telecom Association in an ex parte filing posted Friday (http://xrl.us/bn2itg). Without modification, the FCC’s rules will compel the Oregon PUC to “photocopy and mail an average of 2,500 to 4,000 (and growing) certification forms each month to the consumer’s respective ETC,” they said. They support the position of USTelecom, which raised concerns in April and acquired a waiver through December to this end. The filing suggests that the FCC call for the state administrators to provide the eligible carriers with notice that subscribers qualify for Lifeline and that certification forms have been executed, the filing said. The Oregon stakeholders argue the current FCC requirement “does nothing to enhance the validity of the subscriber’s eligibility” and instead adds “burden and costs” to state Lifeline administrators and carriers. Oregon would execute its program more efficiently if these contested FCC rules are waived, they said.