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 is seeking public comment on a staff working group Report on FCC Process Reform and the proposed recommendations contained in the Report. Comments are due March 31, 2014. The Report is intended to help the FCC operate in the most effective, efficient, and transparent way possible. The Report contains 150 process reform recommendations covering a wide range of specific topics. Among the more interesting ones are the following:
- Require parties aggrieved by a USAC decision to seek review from USAC before seeking review from the FCC
- Encouraging parties to submit proposed text for FCC documents where appropriate;
- Automatic password resets for CORES;
- Adopt procedures to ensure Federal Register publications are timely;
- Consider using a negotiated rulemaking process;
- Include proposed rules in Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) where possible;
- Draft shorter decisional documents where possible;
- Consider listing specific questions with rebuttable presumptions at the end of an NPRM
- Commit to review rules periodically
- Modernize Hearing Aid Compatibility compliance process, including enhanced automation of reports; and
- Create an electronic filing system for network change notifications.
Utah
The PSC is seeking comment on draft proposed rules relating to its Lifeline program. Comments are due March 21, 2014. The PSC will consider the comments and modify the draft rules as appropriate before submitting the proposed rules to the formal rulemaking process. The rule changes are aimed at codifying the processes the PSC adopted in 2013 to: process new participants’ applications and verify the eligibility; perform the required annual eligibility certification on a going-forward basis; and bring its rules into harmony with the FCC’s Lifeline requirements. TMI Regulatory Bulletin service subscribers, see Utah Bulletin dated December 24, 2014. Among other things, the draft rules include subscriber penalties for false certification of eligibility.