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
FCC
The FCC has announced the agenda for its November 14, 2013, Open Meeting. This will be the first meeting presided over by the new Chairman Tom Wheeler and the first in months with a full complement of five commissioners. The only wireline issue on the agenda is an update on universal service reform implementation by the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Office of Native Affairs and Policy.
Other items include a Declaratory Ruling to clarify the FCC’s policies and procedures in reviewing broadcast applications for transfer of control or requests for declaratory ruling that seek greater than 25 percent indirect foreign ownership in broadcast licensees and a presentation on a new FCC Speed Test App for Android smart phones. This crowd sourcing app will expand the Measuring Broadband America program from fixed to mobile broadband services in order to empower consumers, industry, and policymakers with open, transparent, and accurate information about mobile broadband services across the United States.
Kentucky
The Public Service Commission issued a news release reminding consumers in western Kentucky that they have three months left to prepare for mandatory 10-digit dialing of local calls. Beginning February 1, 2014, when area code 364 is added to the same geographic area as the current area code 270, 10-digit dialing will be mandatory. A six-month permissive dialing period began in August.
According to the PSC: (1) the first numbers using area code 364 may be assigned beginning March 3, 2014; and (2) area code 270 numbers can be assigned after that date, but their availability will depend on how many remain in the inventory of each individual service provider. The PSC has required service providers in area code 270 to educate their customers about the changes resulting from the new area code. An informational video about the permissive dialing period is available on the PSC YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/KYPSC
