DelNero Touts Looming ICS Reforms in Outlining FCC Wireline Bureau Agenda
The FCC is "poised to make some real lasting reforms" on inmate calling services, said Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero, speaking at an FCBA event Wednesday shortly before the agency announced it circulated a draft order and Further NPRM in…
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that proceeding (see 1509300067). He credited Commissioner Mignon Clyburn with spearheading the effort and said the bureau was excited by the opportunity to make a “real difference” in the lives of inmates and their relatives. DelNero said a special access rulemaking is another top priority for the bureau and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. He said the commission’s previous tests for providing telcos pricing flexibility “simply weren’t doing the job" and staff was eagerly awaiting feedback from stakeholders on industry data the commission has collected to assist in its review. DelNero also said the bureau was "looking forward to digging in" on comments being filed in its Lifeline USF rulemaking (replies were due Wednesday) and then making recommendations to commissioners for changes to cover broadband and promote administrative efficiency. He noted the FCC had circulated a draft order to create a framework for a high-cost USF reverse auction in some price-cap territories that would "unleash the power of market competition." The draft would build on the lessons the agency has learned in overseeing rural broadband experiments, DelNero said, but he wouldn't say what those lessons were. He also said the bureau was focused on overhauling high-cost USF for rate-of-return carriers and said Wheeler's recent NTCA speech provided a good outline of the commission's direction (see 1509210029">1509210029). He noted the FCC was following up its recent IP/tech transition order with a Further NPRM that aims to establish standardized discontinuance "metrics" that would provide greater predictability to stakeholders. He said the FCC anticipated a flurry of telco discontinuance applications affecting large numbers of consumers as part of the transition from copper-based networks and services to fiber networks and IP-based services. He also noted bureau efforts to assess the pace of broadband deployment under a Section 706 mandate, implement recent changes to the USF E-rate program, and oversee the local number portability administration shift from Neustar to Telcordia.