The Regulatory Mix

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 established a new “Inbox” for Open Internet comments. The FCC’s website says that “Chairman Wheeler is encouraging the public to share their views now. He intends to have rules of the road in place before the end of the year to protect consumers and entrepreneurs. He will be listening, and your comments will help inform the final rules.  Please send your thoughts to openinternet@fcc.gov.”

 

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau released results for the adopted Connect America Cost Model (CAM v4.1.1) and a list of census blocks that would be eligible for the offer of model-based support, subject to the outcome of the Phase II challenge process. The Bureau noted that final figures may change, depending on the upcoming challenge process and any adjustments that may be made to the budget stemming from updated projections regarding Connect America Fund-Intercarrier Compensation support. The results for the adopted model are available at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/connect-america-cost-model-illustrative-results.

 

 

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is considering whether companies should be required to contribute to the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund (OUSF) on revenues generated from prepaid wireless telecommunications service. Under the recently adopted procedural schedule, briefs will be filed in May and June and a hearing on the merits will be held July 17, 2014. Since the OUSF factor is changed each July 1, the Commission’s Public Utility Division (PUD) requested that an order be issued prior to August 1, 2014, so that the OUSF factor can be re-calculated and modified, if necessary, at the earliest possible time. TMI Regulatory Bulletin Service subscribers see Oklahoma Bulletin dated 4/23/14.

 

Telecom Regulatory Fees and Assessments

 

Regulatory Briefing