State lawmakers from across the U.S. will tackle telecom and technology issues this week at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual conference in Seattle. Proposed state and national telecom law rewrites and wrangles over municipal Wi-Fi are among the hot topics at the 5-day conference, which begins today (Tues.). About 7,000 state legislators, policy experts, advocates, govt. leaders and media are expected to attend.
State lawmakers from across the U.S. will tackle telecom and technology issues this week at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual conference in Seattle. Proposed state and national telecom law rewrites and wrangles over municipal Wi-Fi are among the hot topics at the 5-day conference, which begins today (Tues.). About 7,000 state legislators, policy experts, advocates, govt. leaders and media are expected to attend.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a press release stating that it has lowered the national threat level for the mass transit portion of the transportation sector from Code Orange, or "high," to Code Yellow or "elevated." According to the release, this change took effect at 8:00 pm local time on August 12, 2005, at the discretion of state and local authorities. Concurrently, the release states that the Coast Guard lowered the Maritime Security level for large passenger ferries from level two to level one, which corresponds to Code Yellow. (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/08/05 news, 05070899 1 for BP summary on July 7, 2005 raising of threat levels.) Press release, dated 08/12/05, available at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4726 )
Sen. Burns (R-Mont.) is drafting a bill to revamp the universal service fund (USF), expanding the contribution base and redistributing funding, Senate sources said. Sens. Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Snowe (R-Me.) are working with Burns on the bill, expected to be introduced early in Sept., Senate sources said. It’s likely to differ from the Smith-Dorgan bill (CD Aug 2 p1), which would apply USF contributions to all 2-way voice services and establish a separate fund for broadband deployment in rural areas.
LAS VEGAS -- The rent-to-own (RTO) industry is pursuing a 2-pronged federal legislative attack as it tries to gain long-sought Congressional approval of a bill reclassifying rental contracts from credit agreements to leases, executives told us at the Assn. of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO) show here.
The FCC hopes to act this fall on 20 petitions to reconsider a June 2004 order revising rules for ITFS and MDS operators in the 2495-2690 MHz band, sources said. The new rules aim to promote wireless broadband in the band and optimize spectrum traditionally used to provide video services for data use. The FCC also is expected to launch a rulemaking on EBS/BRS relocation rules.
A federal court affirmed a July 2004 Pa. PUC decision setting rates for Verizon’s unbundled network elements (UNE). Verizon appealed the rate order to the U.S. Dist. Court, Philadelphia, claiming the rates were so low as to be confiscatory and were unsupported by substantial evidence (Case 04-3886). The PUC in that order cut Verizon UNE rates in urban areas by 30% while raising them 25% in rural areas. The PUC also reduced Verizon’s DS-1 loop rates statewide, by an average 33%. It was the PUC’s 3rd attempt to set permanent UNE rates. Several CLECs intervened in the case, arguing that the PUC had set UNE rates too high, based on overstated Verizon costs. But the court concluded that the rates adopted by the PUC were consistent with the federal Telecom Act and the FCC’s TELRIC costing methodology.
BERKELEY, Cal. -- Comr. Adelstein characterized the FCC as “basically rewriting” the Telecom Act in 3 weeks with its DSL order. “There’s not much left of Title II after Friday,” he told the FCBA Seminar West here over the weekend, just after the FCC decision (CD Aug 8 p1).
The wireless industry and consumer groups clashed in comments over whether the FCC should grant a CTIA petition on early termination fees (ETFs). CTIA asked the FCC to confirm that ETFs in wireless carriers’ service contracts represent “rates charged” for CMRS, meaning they aren’t subject to state regulation under Sec. 332 of the Communications Act. The wireless industry, a longtime opponent of state regulation on all fronts, strongly supported that request. The highly competitive wireless marketplace results from Congress’s deregulatory model preempting local and state regulation, industry said. But consumer groups strongly opposed the petition, calling it “dubious” and procedurally defective.
The FCC approved the acquisition of Nextel by Sprint Wed., without requiring any divestitures in individual markets but with a more significant condition on 2.5 GHz spectrum than expected. The action came after the 2 companies committed a day before to service implementation milestones. The companies had agreed to offer service within 6 years in the 2.5 GHz band to at least 30 million Americans in at least 20 BTAs, at least 2 of which are rural communities outside the nation’s top 200 most populous BTAs.