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
Chairman Wheeler called on CTIA to revise its Consumer Code for wireless services to include a provision allowing consumers to unblock their mobile phones “before the December holiday season.” Chairman Wheeler noted that the FCC has been working with CTIA on amendments to its Consumer Code to address this issue for the past eight months. He said that “enough time has passed, and it is now time for the industry to act voluntarily or for the FCC to regulate.”
According to the letter, the FCC has indicated that an unblocking policy must contain five parts: (a) provide a clear, concise, and readily accessible policy on unlocking; (b) unlock mobile wireless devices for customers, former customers, and legitimate owners when the applicable service contract, installment plan, or ETF has been fulfilled; (c) affirmatively notify customers when their devices are eligible for unlocking and/or automatically unlock devices when eligible, without an additional fee; (d) process unlocking requests or provide an explanation of denial within two business days; and (e) unlock devices for military personnel upon deployment. The letter indicates that CTIA and the FCC are in agreement on all but the third item regarding consumer notification.
FCC Meetings
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has announced the agenda and panelists for its November 18, 2013 workshop to discuss recent developments in the use of wireless technology to contact emergency services. The workshop, which will take place from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., includes the following topics: an Overview of the Technical Process for Generation and Delivery of E911 Location Information; Improving E911 Location Information, with separate panels of public safety officials and wireless providers; Advancements in Location Information Technologies; and a roundtable discussion. Live audio/video coverage of the meeting will be available over the Internet at www.fcc.gov/live. Event-related questions may be emailed to livequestions@fcc.gov. Read the Agenda Here
Separately, the FCC announced the agenda for the next meeting of its Consumer Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held on Monday, December 16, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be broadcast live over the Internet atwww.fcc.gov/live. The Committee is expected to consider recommendations concerning cramming and the reporting of consumer complaint data. It may also consider other recommendations from its working groups, and may also receive briefings from FCC staff and outside speakers on matters of interest to the Committee. A limited amount of time will be available on the agenda for comments from the public. The public may ask questions of presenters via email to livequestions@fcc.gov or via Twitter using the hash tag #fcclive. The meeting can also be followed on Twitter @fcc or via the FCC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fcc.
