The FCC Enforcement Bureau sent cease and desist letters to VaultTel Solutions and Prestige DR VoIP for allegedly transmitting illegal robocall campaigns. “We need to use every tool we have to get these junk calls off of our networks,” said acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday. VaultTel allegedly transmitted robocalls on Social Security and internet bill imposters. Prestige allegedly transmitted vacation package robocalls. Both providers must mitigate illegal traffic within 48 hours.
Public Knowledge and the United Church of Christ want the FCC to emphasize proposed treatment of site commissions for inmate calling services is interim and to determine whether commissions are legitimate, said filings posted Monday in docket 12-375 (see 2105120031). Site commissions don't belong in ICS rates, PK and UCC told commissioners' staff. They urged preempting site commission payments that would cause ICS rates to exceed the interim cap or "make clear its intention promptly to preempt them and take immediate steps to do so." Wright Petitioners told commissioners' advisers treating "legally-mandated facility rate components" as legitimate costs "creates an incentive for providers to lobby state and local governments to enact statutes that establish unreasonable or open-ended site commissions."
The FCC wants comments by June 14, replies June 29 in docket 21-131 on Sinch US buying Onvoy, said a document in Monday's Daily Digest. The providers also seek a declaratory ruling to allow foreign investment above 25% and increase Sinch's indirect equity in Onvoy "up to a non-controlling 49.99%." Also reported in Monday's Digest, the Wireline Bureau OK'd Everstream buying PEG Bandwidth and a declaratory ruling to allow foreign investment above the 25% benchmark.
The FCC tariff rate of return for incumbent LECs is 9.75%, effective July 1, said a staff order Friday. Price cap and RoR incumbent LECs will be required to "tariff separate rate elements for toll-free and non-toll free interstate and intrastate originating end office access service." The commission waived rules limiting the annual access charge tariff filing to rate-level changes. ILECs that didn't "separately track toll-free and non-toll free intrastate switched access demand for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2020" got limited waiver to allow them to "make the required comparison between interstate and intrastate revenue from end office access service using total demand" from both.
The North American Numbering Council meets virtually June 23 at 2 p.m. EDT, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Friday. NANC will vote on recommendations for billing and collection fund size projections and contribution factor, and evaluate billing and collection agent Welch's performance.
Inmate calling services providers asked FCC staff to revise part of a draft order to cut ICS rates ahead of commissioners' meeting Thursday, per filings posted Friday in docket 12-375 (see 2105120031). Securus asked to let providers "establish pilot programs for interstate calls," citing its six ongoing pilots in county jails and one state prison. It asked for different alternative rate structures. NCIC asked to clarify "the transaction fee cap will continue to be $3" for single-service calls or "completely prohibit transaction fees for single calls." Changes to the rate caps should become effective on the same day, Global Tel*Link asked in conversations with commissioners' staff. GTL sought to revise the draft suggesting the company "failed to keep its books and records in a certain manner."
The New York Public Service Commission voted 4-0 to clear a Frontier Communications action plan for emerging from bankruptcy. The telco submitted the plan in January required by the PSC in its October OK of the Chapter 11 reorganization (see 2010160044). It describes how Frontier will enhance service quality and network reliability. "We will have to remain very vigilant on this company in particular” to make sure they meet performance standards, said interim Chair John Howard at the commission’s livestreamed Thursday meeting. It exited Chapter 11 two weeks ago (see 2104300058). The approved plan includes $12.5 million for projects in 24 central offices identified as needing improvement, said the PSC. The company didn't comment.
Pay Tel asked the FCC to reconsider “effectively classifying” all inmate calling services calls as “jurisdictionally 'interstate'” because it could cause a “potential, and presumably unintended, adverse consequence.” Pay Tel's analysis was posted Thursday in docket 12-375 and said those in 83% of about 3,800 facilities would face an average increase of more than 26% in their per minute rate for calls. Commissioners are expected to vote on new interim ICS rate caps during their Thursday meeting (see 2105120031).
Comments are due May 25, replies June 4, on the Interstate Telecom Relay Services Fund administrator's proposed compensation formulas, funding requirements and carrier contribution factors for FY 2021-22, said an FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 03-123. CGB also wants comment on T-Mobile's waiver request regarding IP relay service compensation (see 2103100061).
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted Community Care of West Virginia's request to review two Universal Service Administrative Co. decisions denying its request to recalculate 32 FY 2018 funding commitments, an order said Wednesday. The bureau directed USAC to revise CCWV's funding commitments because its urban rates had been publicly available.