The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC)...
The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC) issued proposed requirements Thursday for implementing the FCC’s Lifeline program in the state (http://1.usa.gov/1f7GXsa). The FCC’s Lifeline order in February 2012 imposed new requirements for eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) and outlined specific…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
instances of states’ authority to implement the requirements, said the DTC. Based on public hearings and comments from interested parties in May, the DTC proposed Massachusetts ETCs do not assess or collect a monthly fee from subscribers who are terminated for non-usage. Each ETC should file annually the number of complaints related to the Lifeline program during the previous calendar year for every 1,000 Lifeline subscribers in Massachusetts, the DTC proposed. The DTC will not require ETCs to report the amount of Universal Service Fund support received for Massachusetts Lifeline subscribers each month on a quarterly basis because T-Mobile and Verizon said in comments such receipts would provide “little or no value” to the DTC. All newly designated ETCs should file the rates, terms, marketing materials and conditions of their Lifeline offerings in Massachusetts within 60 days of designation and prior to offering Lifeline services in Massachusetts, the DTC proposed. In good faith, all wireless ETCs should participate in the DTC’s dispute resolution process to resolve Lifeline subscriber disputes, the DTC proposed. Public safety answering points’ self-certification will be provided only to non-facilities-based ETCs annually, despite Your Tel’s concerns that this requirement would be burdensome, the DTC proposed. The DTC said it will not propose requiring that each ETC submit annual statements that it meets the compliance agreements established by Lifeline and it will not require ETCs to report on compliance with the state’s 911 and E911 obligations. The DTC did not propose to impose requirements for ETCs to require a basic voice option, a return policy for refurbished phones, some customer service resources and the same services and benefits for ETCs that have offers in other jurisdictions. Comments on the proposed requirements are due Sept. 18, reply comments Oct. 2 to DTC Secretary Catrice Williams with the subject line “D.T.C 13-4 Lifeline Investigation."