FairPoint Tells FCC It's Taking Broadband Internet Transmission Service Private
FairPoint Communications plans to stop offering its broadband internet transmission service as a telecom service "and offer it instead as a private service," the company told the FCC Wireline Bureau Thursday in a filing in docket 14-28. "In the Open…
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Internet Order, the Commission classified retail mass market broadband Internet access service ('BIAS') as a partially forborne telecommunications service, but declined to reclassify other broadband services, such as special access, enterprise broadband and wholesale broadband services, as telecommunications services," FairPoint said. "The Commission's forbearance allowed telecommunications carriers to provide BIAS free from a variety of provisions of the Communications Act otherwise applicable to telecommunications carriers, such as ratemaking regulations. At the same time the Commission indicated that any carrier that had elected to provide BIAS subject to 'the full range of Title II requirements' remained subject to all the applicable Title II rights and obligations unless and until such carrier elects to change its offering of broadband Internet transmission services 'pursuant to the construct adopted in this Order,' in which event the carrier 'should notify the Wireline Competition Bureau 60 days prior to implementing such a change.'" The company said its filing was such notice, meaning the change would take effect Aug. 22. FairPoint didn't comment further Thursday.