Senate Democrats Raise Concerns to Pai on FCC Copper, Discontinuance Plans
Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 14 other senators raised concerns Tuesday in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on a draft order on changes to rules on wireline transitions, copper retirements and telecom service discontinuances.…
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Other stakeholders also criticized the draft before a vote on the proposal at Thursday's commissioners meeting (see 1711130041). The proposed changes “cause serious concern for rural Americans ... who rely on landline phone service,” the senators wrote. “Households and businesses ... cannot afford the disruption of having service altered without adequate advance notice, the assurance that an equivalent replacement exists, and a clear understanding of how to obtain and use the replacement.” The proposal would also affect alarm systems and medical monitoring devices, the senators said. USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter said “Retiring old copper phone networks will allow broadband providers to lay more fiber to meet the 21st century connectivity needs of families and communities across the U.S., so they no longer have to rely on antiquated technologies like fax machines. Every dollar spent patching up a copper network is a dollar that can’t be spent on delivering more reliable, faster technologies to more Americans -- especially those living in rural parts of our country.” The FCC didn't comment.