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
US Congress
After once again being selected by his colleagues to serve as Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Fred Upton announced the committee leadership he intends to appoint for the 114th Congress. The leadership for the subcommittees with specific jurisdiction over telecommunications and energy companies are as follows:
Communications and Technology: Chair: Greg Walden; Vice Chair: Bob Latta
Energy and Power: Chair: Ed Whitfield; Vice Chair: Pete Olson
On the full committee, Marsha Blackburn will continue to serve as Vice Chair and Joe Barton will continue to serve as Chairman Emeritus.
FCC
Special Access
The FCC updated its Frequently Asked Questions about the Special Access Data Collection. See our blog, “FCC Updates Special Access Data Collection FAQ, Again. . .” dated 11/18/14.
Rural Call Completion
In response to Petitions for Reconsideration, the FCC revised its rural call completion rules to exempt certain intraLATA toll calls. As a result, the recordkeeping, retention, and reporting requirements will not apply to:
(1) intraLATA toll calls that are carried entirely over the covered provider’s network; and
(2) intraLATA toll calls that are handed off by the covered provider directly to the terminating LEC or the tandem that the terminating LEC’s end office subtends.
The FCC declined to change the covered provider threshold from 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines. Separately, the FCC submitted the rules to the Office of Management and Budget for final approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Comments on the information collection may be submitted by December 15, 2014.
TMI Regulatory Bulletin Service subscribers see Bulletin dated 11/17/14
NCTA
Net Neutrality
NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell posted a Blog article regarding the President’s Statement on Net Neutrality dated 11/10/14. In his Blog Powell states, “We are stunned the President would abandon the longstanding, bipartisan policy of lightly regulating the Internet and call for extreme Title II regulation.”
In addition, he states, “The cable industry strongly supports an open Internet, is building an open internet, and strongly believes that over-regulating the fastest growing technology in our history will not advance the cause of Internet freedom. There is no dispute about the propriety of transparency rules and bans on discrimination and blocking. But this tectonic shift in national policy, should it be adopted, would create devastating results. ” See the entire article here.
