The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court, issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.
TELECOM
Massachusetts
The Department of Telecommunications has received a petition regarding relief from the “unjust and unreasonable cost” of collect calls from prisoners at correctional institutions in Massachusetts. The Department will open an investigation into: (1) the per-call surcharge; (2) the per-call surcharge cap; and (3) the tariffed service and other fees assessed by ICS providers. It will also consider: the frequency of dropped ICS calls; the quality of connected ICS calls; and the billing practices of Global Tel*Link Corporation and Securus Technologies, Inc. The Department declined to include the following issues in the new investigation: the usage rate component of the rate setting mechanism for ICS; the frequencies of recorded warning messages; and the availability and upkeep of telecommunications equipment at correctional facilities. Watch for TMI Bulletins as this case develops.
FCC
Read about FCC and the Government Shut Down in our Blog dated October 1, 2013.
