The Nebraska Public Service Commission seeks four members for its state USF advisory board, the PSC said Friday: one to represent telecom carriers, one for rural healthcare and two for the public. Those appointed to the nine-member board may serve two consecutive three-year terms. The agency is moving to connections-based USF contribution despite industry resistance (see 1801310054).
Revamp, don’t repeal Alaska USF, urged the telecom industry and Alaska’s attorney general in comments this week in docket R-18-001 at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. The RCA last month proposed phasing out AUSF by July 31, 2019 (see 1801160014). The Alaska Telephone Association (ATA), Alaska Communications (AC) and the AG office rejected that and pitched alternatives. AUSF surcharges -- 19 percent this year -- “will almost certainly continue to rise,” a lawmaker said. The federal USF contribution factor for Q1 is 19.5 percent.
ISPs, wireline, wireless and cable are making major investment in broadband, industry representatives told state commissioners Monday at NARUC's meeting. They faced some tough questions. Carriers are spending totals on broadband that dwarf what was spent on the federal highway system or the race to the moon, said Jonathan Banks, USTelecom senior vice president-law and policy. Wireless carriers are planning for 5G, with the first of several standards released, said Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs.
ISPs, wireline, wireless and cable are making major investment in broadband, industry representatives told state commissioners Monday at NARUC's meeting. They faced some tough questions. Carriers are spending totals on broadband that dwarf what was spent on the federal highway system or the race to the moon, said Jonathan Banks, USTelecom senior vice president-law and policy. Wireless carriers are planning for 5G, with the first of several standards released, said Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs.
ISPs, wireline, wireless and cable are making major investment in broadband, industry representatives told state commissioners Monday at NARUC's meeting. They faced some tough questions. Carriers are spending totals on broadband that dwarf what was spent on the federal highway system or the race to the moon, said Jonathan Banks, USTelecom senior vice president-law and policy. Wireless carriers are planning for 5G, with the first of several standards released, said Scott Bergmann, CTIA senior vice president-regulatory affairs.
State regulators face competing Lifeline draft resolutions at NARUC's winter meeting on an FCC proposal to target low-income USF subsidies to facilities-based providers (see 1801300023 and 1801300023). A draft resolution to urge the FCC to continue allowing resellers to receive Lifeline funding appears to have more support than a draft that welcomed the proposed shift, some told us Friday, though compromise or postponement of consideration is always possible. Competing Lifeline draft resolutions were pulled from the last meeting (see 1711130035). At the winter meeting, which was to begin Sunday and run through Wednesday, NARUC is also to consider draft telecom resolutions on nationwide number portability and pole-attachment overlashing.
State regulators face competing Lifeline draft resolutions at NARUC's winter meeting on an FCC proposal to target low-income USF subsidies to facilities-based providers (see 1801300023 and 1801300023). A draft resolution to urge the FCC to continue allowing resellers to receive Lifeline funding appears to have more support than a draft that welcomed the proposed shift, some told us Friday, though compromise or postponement of consideration is always possible. Competing Lifeline draft resolutions were pulled from the last meeting (see 1711130035). At the winter meeting, which was to begin Sunday and run through Wednesday, NARUC is also to consider draft telecom resolutions on nationwide number portability and pole-attachment overlashing.
Cable and wireless companies cautioned the Nebraska Public Service Commission to tread carefully as it implements connections-based contribution to state USF. CTIA earlier sued the PSC in the Nebraska Court of Appeals over its decision to move to a connection-based USF contribution at an unspecified date, with CTIA’s brief due to the court Feb. 20 (see 1801170030). In Wednesday comments in docket NUSF-111 on rate design, CTIA said it’s concerned the PSC can implement an equitable, nondiscriminatory mechanism and urged Nebraska first write a strategic plan for USF before deciding the structure. Charter urged the PSC to step gradually and cautiously because possible problems with a connections-based mechanism “are still largely unknown,” saying that “the transition the Commission contemplates appears to conflict with federal law respecting the state's authority to assess VoIP and other Internet-protocol enabled services on anything other than a revenue basis.” CenturyLink urged the PSC to keep rate design simple and ensure surcharge calculations are transparent: “There is no need to create a complicated rate design with different surcharges for residential or business customers, wireless or wireline, or size of customer.” So large businesses aren't disproportionately burdened, cap the number of connections on which a businesses is assessed, it said. Securus said a contributions-based USF would exclude the inmate calling service company because it doesn't provide access lines or charge customers on an access-line or connection basis. The commission should exempt or provide an alternative method for companies like it. A coalition of rural LECs urged a hybrid approach to contributions. If the commission can't apply a connections-based method to a certain company due to technological or other barriers, require that provider to continue contributing on a revenue basis, they said.
Idaho USF probably isn't sustainable and may require a legislative fix, Public Utilities Commission staff said at a teleconferenced Wednesday workshop. The PUC is assessing state USF viability, as several other states also are expected to revamp state funds this year. State changes are appropriate, but federal action is needed, Joint Board on Universal Service State Chair Chris Nelson told us.
A governor, a U.S. senator and more RLECs urged the FCC to approve additional funding this year for the Alternative Connect America Model (A-CAM) USF mechanism supporting many rate-of-return telcos. "Doing so will ensure that thousands of additional Nebraskans will benefit from new or upgraded broadband services since the companies that receive A-CAM support are obligated to provide those services under the FCC's 2016 order," Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) wrote Chairman Ajit Pai. The high-cost support program is "critical to achieving our national broadband goals and closing the digital divide," said a similar request to Pai from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn: "Lack of resources to meet these national goals is undermining investment and consumer access to affordable broadband across much of rural America." Rural telcos wrote letters to the FCC posted in the last week in docket 10-90 asking for additional A-CAM funding up to $200 per month per eligible customer location for Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. RLECs from 10 states previously sent letters (see 1712040035).