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 announced it would recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month with two panel discussions to be held on October 30, 2014. This year’s theme is “Expect. Employ. Empower.” The primary goal of the panel discussions is to heighten awareness of issues and challenges bearing on employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, as well as to highlight certain FCC and government-wide efforts currently underway to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in the federal workforce. Panel I will focus on the impact of FCC efforts to implement regulations requiring access to advanced communications services on employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Panel II will address ongoing efforts of the FCC, and the federal government, to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in its workforce. The event will be carried live at www.FCC.gov/live.
Colorado
The PUC issued a Decision implementing key provisions of House Bill (HB) 14-1328 by allocating moneys from the Colorado High Cost Support Mechanism (HCSM) to the Broadband Deployment Board (Board). HB14-1328 authorizes the Board to use funds allocated from the HCSM to award grants to eligible applicants for proposed broadband projects in unserved areas of Colorado. The PUC’s determined that, because effective competition for basic service exists in 56 wire centers, and because moneys no longer are required by the HCSM to support universal basic service in the 56 wire centers, HB14-1328 authorizes the PUC to allocate those moneys from the HCSM to the Board. The Decision directs the PUC Staff to calculate the HCSM amounts attributable to the 56 wire centers from the effective date of HB14-1328, and to transfer those amounts to the Board as soon as practical, but no later than January 30, 2015. The Decision also authorizes Staff to make earlier transfers to the Board in amounts that constitute at least part of the amount attributable to the 56 wire centers, to allow the Board to commence its operations as permitted under HB14-1328.
District of Columbia
The PSC will hold evidential hearings pm December 3 and 4 on nine specific issues regarding Verizon’s continued use of its copper infrastructure for the provision of telecommunications services in the District. The PSC is interested in whether and under what circumstances the company plans to transition customers form the telecommunications services provider over copper facilities to telecommunications service provided over fiber facilities. See the Regulatory Mix dated 10/16/14.
