Incompas wants the FCC to extend from Thursday to May 28 the reply deadline on an April 15 public notice (see 1905140005) with supplemental business data services statistics. ILEC comments "raised issues and arguments well beyond the scope requested" by the PN, "which was expressly limited to transport services," the group said in a docket 18-141 posting Tuesday. ILECs "focused extensively on forbearance from the loop unbundling requirements asked for in USTelecom’s petition," the competitive LEC group said. "AT&T and Verizon also expressly rely on 'newly available data' wholly unrelated to the April Data Tables and the record in the BDS proceeding generally to support their argument for eliminating loop unbundling." USTelecom seeks to remove a mandate that ILECs provide transport network services to CLECs as an unbundled network element, which the competitive providers oppose (see 1905130050). USTelecom declined to comment now.
The type of LECs USTelecom asks the FCC to remove some unbundled network element rules from are incumbent providers (see 1905130050).
As the FCC considers changes to its national broadband map, states are waiting to see what ramifications those changes have on their own maps. Minnesota's broadband map shares some of the same shortcomings as the FCC's Form 477-centric map, and it's worked with providers on improvements, emailed state Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Danna MacKenzie. "We will gladly give it up if and when the federal map improves and meets our needs."
CLECs want the FCC to protect their access to the business data services market by denying a petition from USTelecom to remove a mandate that incumbent LECs provide transport network services to CLECs as an unbundled network element (UNE). The latest smaller-carrier opposition to USTelecom's petition for forbearance from requiring ILECs unbundle and resell access to some of their networks came in responses posted in docket through Monday 18-141 to an April 15 public notice with supplemental business data services statistics. CLECs contend that BDS data is limited and there was insufficient time to comment.
Akin Gump names Galen Roehl, ex-USTelecom, senior policy adviser, public law and policy practice ... Univision appoints Galiya Tleuova, ex-Time, executive vice president-finance, chief accounting officer and corporate controller, succeeding Matthew Drucker, resigned ... Beasley Media promotes Heidi Raphael to chief communications officer.
Citing the U.S. "race to 5G," Incompas wants the FCC to "deny USTelecom’s petition" on unbundled network elements forbearance (see 1905060025), Incompas CEO Chip Pickering and a representative from Allstream told Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. "Networks being built using unbundled network elements as a bridge to fiber support 5G, in addition to gigabit-speed broadband service to small businesses and residential users," Incompas wrote, posted Tuesday in dockets including 18-141. It said companies using UNEs as such a bridge "are building more fiber in the areas they operate than either the incumbent or cable." A USTelecom spokesperson emailed Wednesday that its senior vice president-advocacy and regulatory affairs “Patrick Halley’s most recent blog and filing on Monday reinforces the policy rationale and facts supporting USTelecom’s UNE forbearance petition.” Wednesday, Allstream owner Zayo agreed to be taken private (see 1905080021).
USTelecom renewed its request the FCC OK the group's unbundled network elements (UNE) request of forbearance from requiring incumbent LECs unbundle and resell access to some of their networks. Commissioners approved parts of the association's petition last month, forbearing from a duplicative pole attachment rule and some long-distance service and other old reporting requirements, a USTelecom blog post noted Monday. In making that 5-0 vote, FCC members sought action on things like the UNE request, which if not acted on by Aug. 2 would be granted (see 1904120058). "Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and tackle the rest of the Petition" rather than requiring ILECs sell access at "below-market rates set by regulators rather than the marketplace," blogged Patrick Halley, USTelecom senior vice president-advocacy and regulatory affairs. "After nearly a year, detractors have been unable to show why one-time 'incumbent' wireline providers, whose market shares have declined precipitously and who lag wireless and cable competitors, should continue to bear the weight of intrusive regulatory mandates that do not apply to their rivals," Halley filed Monday, in docket 18-141. The FCC declined to comment. Some groups have concerns about USTelecom's request (see 1806220027). Incompas called this "a brazen move" by "AT&T and Verizon’s trade association." USTelecom is trying to "revamp its initial filing for a competition cut off that will result in massive price hikes on broadband customers," Incompas said. The FCC should reject this, said Incompas CEO Chip Pickering.
NCTA defended its shapefiles-centric broadband mapping plan Friday, in response to complaints by Broadband Coalition members USTelecom, ITTA and the Wireless ISP Association (see 1904150059). “The heart of NCTA’s proposal is a transition from the current requirement to report a list of census blocks where broadband is available to a new regime where providers would submit shapefiles representing the area where they make service available,” NCTA said in docket 11-10. “Rather than waiting around for a theoretically perfect approach to broadband data collection to materialize, the Commission should move forward with structuring a program that is tolerant of the imperfections that are inherent in any data exercise of this magnitude.”
President Donald Trump agreed at Tuesday's meeting with top Democrats to pursue $2 trillion in spending on broadband and other infrastructure projects. Democratic leaders later cautioned that any forward momentum will depend on further talks with the administration and congressional Republicans. Democratic leaders first announced plans to meet with Trump earlier this month in a bid to revive interest in enacting a comprehensive bill (see 1904110068). Trump sought in his February State of the Union for Congress to “unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure” (see 1902060002). In 2018, he called for a bill “that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment” that relied heavily on public-private partnerships (see 1803290046).
The voluntary approach to privacy, including IoT devices, has failed, and it’s time for government intervention to address this “crisis,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Tuesday, citing progress on legislation. During a Senate Security Subcommittee hearing, industry officials urged legislators to pass comprehensive privacy legislation. A National Institute of Standards and Technology official noted his agency is developing a federal baseline for core cyber capabilities of IoT devices.