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 Wireline Competition Bureau is asking for comment on the National Exchange Carrier Association’s (NECA) 2016 modification of the average schedule company universal service high-cost loop support formula. Comments are due September 24, 2015; reply comments are due October 9, 2015. If approved, the new formula would take effect on January 1, 2016, and remain in effect through December 31, 2016. Annual payments to average schedule companies under the proposed formula will total approximately $11.3 million payable to 194 average schedule study areas in 2016. In comparison, payments in 2015 under the current formula are expected to amount to $8 million paid to 165 study areas. Most of this increase is attributed to the change in payment rules that took effect on July 1, 2015.
New York
The PSC seeks public comment and will hold five public statement hearings concerning the merger of Charter Communications, Inc. (Charter) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC). If this merger occurs, the petitioners assert that the merged entity, New Charter, will own and/or manage systems serving approximately 19.4 million broadband customers, 17.3 million video customers, and 9.4 million voice customers across 41 states. Five Public Statement Hearings in three locations have been scheduled: Bethlehem Town Hall, 9/17/15 at 7 p.m.; NYC Borough of Manhattan Community College, 9/21/15 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Buffalo Amherst Municipal Building, 9/24/15 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
North Carolina
General Statute 62A-46(e)(4a) has been amended to read:
“By July 1, 2016, a PSAP must have a plan and means for 911 call-taking in the event 911 calls cannot be received and processed in the primary PSAP. If a PSAP has made substantial progress toward implementation of the plan and means, the 911 Board may grant the PSAP an extension until July 1, 2017, to complete implementation of the plan and means. The plan must identify the alternative capability of taking the redirected 911 calls. This subdivision does not require a PSAP to construct an alternative facility to serve as a back-up PSAP.” In addition, the 911 Board has been directed to investigate alternatives for facilitation of uniform procurement and pricing of 911 eligible expenses through bulk purchasing and other means. No later than May 1, 2016, the Board must report its findings, including any requests for legislative action, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology.
