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Home / Blog

Blog Washington Watch 04/10/2014

Washington Watch 04/10/2014

April 23, 2014 By Lifeline Landing Washington Watch
April 10, 2014

Back Issues
Contents USF/ICC Transformation Order Commissioner Pai Discusses Rate Floor, QRA at WTA Spring Meeting Average Schedules FCC Approves NECA Average Schedule Formulas Broadband NTCA Releases Paper on Promoting Broadband Adoption Public Interest Advocates Discuss Challenges to Broadband Access Universal Service Safari Montage Provides Information on Digital Video Streaming TracFone Discusses Lifeline Reform Issues Generic Conferencing Expresses Support for Cisco WebEx Request for Review

USF/ICC Transformation Order

Commissioner Pai Discusses Rate Floor, QRA at WTA Spring Meeting   Commissioner Pai spoke at the WTA 2014 Spring Meeting on April 9, 2014, to discuss Transformation Order issues, retransmission consent, and regulations that impede investments in infrastructure. Pai said one of the mistakes in the 2011 Transformation Order has been the rate floor, and said rate shock could send customers off the network entirely, which means further uncertainty about the economics of investing in rural America. Pai also said the FCC will soon strike the QRA benchmarks from its books in an upcoming Reconsideration Order, noting that the QRA benchmarks chilled the investment climate, impeded the deployment of broadband to rural Americans, and did not save the USF any money.  Summary of remarks

Average Schedules

FCC Approves NECA Average Schedule Formulas The Wireline Competition Bureau issued an Order on April 10, 2014, approving NECA’s December 23, 2013 proposed modification of average schedule formulas for interstate settlements, for the period beginning July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015.

Broadband

NTCA Releases Paper on Promoting Broadband Adoption NTCA issued a paper on April 9, 2014, entitled Conquering the Challenges of Broadband Adoption, which provides recommendations on how to promote broadband adoption through: continued research; the development of best practices and standards that can be shared between providers, advocates and policy-makers; coordination among various entities to ensure money is spent properly; and public encouragement of broadband adoption. It also provides a snapshot of broadband deployment efforts in the United States.  Press Release   Public Interest Advocates Discuss Challenges to Broadband Access The Center for Rural Strategies, the Rural Broadband Policy Group, and YouthBuild USAmet with staff of Commissioner Clyburn and the Wireline Competition Bureau on April 3, 2014, to discuss challenges facing low-income youth in rural areas in accessing computers as well as wireless and broadband services. They stressed the importance of affordable access to the Internet in accomplishing educational and employment goals, and advocated for broadband policies that create opportunities in rural communities, ensuring students do not get left behind.

Universal Service

Safari Montage Provides Information on Digital Video Streaming Safari Montage sent a letter to the Wireline Competition Bureau on April 7, 2014, providing additional information the FCC requested regarding the use of digital video streaming in K-12 schools. It provided information on video streaming utilization rates, number of video plays and peak hours of usage. Safari Montage asked the FCC to consider extending the use of video caching servers for E-rate eligibility and adding video storage, video bandwidth optimization tools and their maintenance to the eligibility list.   TracFone Discusses Proposals on Lifeline Reform TracFone Wireless met with Wireline Competition Bureau staff on April 8, 2014, to discuss reform proposals contained in its May 2012 Petition, which proposed that the FCC require Lifeline providers to retain and make available for audit by the FCC or USAC the Lifeline eligibility documentation which applicants are required to produce and which Lifeline providers purport to have viewed. TracFone also discussed proposals in its May 2013 Petition, which proposed the FCC prohibit in-person distribution of handsets associated with Lifeline-supported service, and discussed several other proposals it made relating to eligibility verification and documentation requirements.   Generic Conferencing Expresses Support for Cisco WebEx Request for Review Generic Conferencing met with Wireline Competition Bureau staff on April 7, 2014, to discuss its web-based conferencing services and to reiterate its support for Cisco WebEx’s Request for Review of a USAC decision.

Editor: Teresa Evert  |  Assistant Editor: Shawn O'Brien

 

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