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
Connect America Fund Maps
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has released maps that depict illustrative results for version 4.0 of the Connect America Cost Model (CAM v4.0). The maps display the areas that would potentially be eligible for the Connect America Fund Phase II. They offer model-based support to price cap carriers, based on the output from CAM v4.0 using two potential funding thresholds: $48 and $52. The maps also display the areas below the illustrative funding threshold, the areas above the potential extremely high-cost threshold, and the areas potentially excluded from eligibility due to the presence of an unsubsidized competitor.
- The map generated by running CAM v4.0 using a $48 funding threshold is available here.
- The map generated by running CAM v4.0 using a $52 funding threshold is available here.
- The Bureau also released the underlying data that were used to develop each of the maps. The data files are available here.
The maps and underlying data will assist parties that potentially would want to challenge the eligibility of specific census blocks when the Bureau commences the challenge process at a future date. The Bureau cautioned that because a final cost model and funding thresholds have not yet been adopted, the maps should not be viewed as a decision on which price cap census blocks will be subject to the offer of model-based support.
TCPA
The FCC is seeking comment on a Petition for Expedited Declaratory Ruling filed by United Healthcare Services, Inc. asking it to clarify the applicability of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the FCC’s rules to “informational, non-telemarketing autodialed and prerecorded calls to wireless numbers for which valid prior express consent has been obtained but which, unbeknownst to the calling party, have subsequently been reassigned from one wireless subscriber to another.” United said it obtains prior express consent from individuals before placing healthcare-related informational calls to wireless telephone numbers using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice. However, those wireless numbers are sometimes reassigned without United’s knowledge. Comments are due March 10, 2014; reply comments are due March 24, 2014.
Cable Inflation Adjustment
The FCC announced that the third quarter 2013 Inflation Adjustment Figures for cable operators that use FCC Form 1240 is 1.97%. The adjustment factor is a measure of the annualized change in prices occurring over the period from July 1, 2013 to September 30, 2013. FCC rules give regulated cable operators the option of filing for rate adjustments on an annual basis instead of quarterly. Form 1240, Annual Updating Of Maximum Permitted Rates For Regulated Cable Services, is used for this purpose. Read the Public Notice here
