RLECs Press for Separations Freeze Extension; NASUCA Objects; Joint Board Invites Input
Rural telcos continued to urge the FCC to extend by at least 18 months a freeze on the jurisdictional separations of rate-of-return telco cost calculations, while a consumer group voiced further concern about an extension becoming indefinite. Parties filed replies…
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.
posted Monday and Tuesday in docket 80-286 responding to initial comments (see 1704180023). The FCC proposed extending the freeze, which expires June 30, by 18 months so a federal-state joint board could make recommendations on "comprehensive separations reform" by next April and the commission could consider those recommendations. In its reply, WTA said it believes the freeze should be extended by at least six months beyond the date the FCC adopts new Part 36 separations rules, which "may or may not be longer" than the proposed 18-month extension. The RLEC group said "it does not expect this further extension to 'continue indefinitely' as claimed to be feared" by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates in initial comments. WTA also said initial comments by the "Irregulators" were focused on Verizon and had "no relevance" to the freeze needed by rural telcos. NTCA's reply said the freeze should be extended long enough for the joint board and FCC to "get it right." The RLEC group said NASUCA's concerns about the consumer impact "only bolster the case" for extending the freeze, because failure to do so could harm "consumers and providers alike." But NASUCA said NTCA essentially proposed "an indefinite extension" in initial comments. "Given the billions of dollars per year in harm to consumers from the freeze and the sixteen year delay so far, any additional delay is too long," said NASUCA's reply. It also objected to USTelecom's initial comments that certain carriers should be allowed to choose between continuing the freeze and readjusting their cost allocations if it's in their interest. Separately, the joint board on separations asked parties to refresh the record in light of the FCC's request for recommendations. The board sought comment by May 24 and replies by June 8 on "comprehensive permanent separations reform," including specific proposals, said a public notice listed in Tuesday's Daily Digest. In another public notice, the panel sought comments by May 24 and replies by June 8 on Part 36 separations issues raised by the FCC's recent order streamlining its Part 32 ILEC accounting rules (see 1702230051).