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’s new application fees will become effective June 6, 2014. See our March 31, 2014 Blog “FCC Announces Application Fee Increases.” The fees were increased to reflect the net change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers of 8%.
Alabama
The PSC approved a staff proposal recommending changes to rates and fees associated with Inmate Calling Service. Interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the contents of the Order through June 12, 2014. Any changes to the Inmate Calling Service will not become effective until the Commission issues a final Order in the proceeding. TMI Regulatory Bulletin Service subscribers watch for a Bulletin when the order is released.
Texas
AT&T has requested that the Texas PUC find that 95 additional markets of the company with populations less than 100,000 in Texas should be deregulated. The PUC previously determined that 205 out of the 300 AT&T Texas local exchange markets satisfied the statutory standards and should be deregulated. With the filing of the Petition, AT&T Texas seeks deregulation of an additional and final 95 of its local exchange markets that meet the statutory criteria for deregulation. If deregulatory relief is granted for these remaining 95 exchanges, all of AT&T Texas’ local exchanges in Texas will be deregulated. The deadline for intervenor comments and responses is May 23; Staff responses are due May 30. AT&T’s response is due June 13. A decision must be made by July 24.