The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates on Tuesday...
The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates on Tuesday asked the FCC to reject AT&T’s August “checklist” of actions the commission could take to encourage the transition to an all-Internet Protocol ecosystem. The telco’s proposal preempts states’ oversight of…
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carrier-of-last-resort obligations, and “would do an end run around state public utility commissions’ oversight” of when and where ILECs can be relieved of the obligation to provide basic service, NASUCA said. “AT&T has failed to demonstrate the urgency of migrating to an all-IP network and has also failed to identify, let alone address, the harms to consumers and to competition that would ensue if the FCC were to adopt AT&T’s proposal.” The proposal that the FCC reform and streamline Section 214 discontinuance requirements would mean that AT&T and other ILECs can “unilaterally abandon service on any segment of their networks,” abandoning customers who do not meet their short-term revenue objectives, “without any consideration of the disruption this may cause ... in violation of state and federal policy,” NASUCA said. No state could override what would amount to “voluntary” eligible telecom carrier status by imposing “inconsistent COLR obligations,” the association said (http://xrl.us/bn2pit).