Login or create new account.

Pellentesque habitant morbi fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum tortor quam. Pellentesque habitant

Review your order.

Pellentesque habitant morbi fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum tortor quam Pellentesque habitant.

Payment And FREE shipment.

Pellentesque habitant morbi fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum tortor quam. Pellentesque habitant

Client Login
Or
Home / Blog

Blog Washington Watch 10/24/2013

Washington Watch 10/24/2013

October 24, 2013 By Lifeline Landing Washington Watch
October 24, 2013

Back Issues
Contents Call Completion Verizon Discusses Rural Call Completion Reporting Requirements CenturyLink Discusses Rural Call Completion Reporting, Data Collection Comcast Discusses Network Metrics, Rural Call Completion Data Collection Hypercube Offers Suggestions on Resolving Call Completion Problems Voice on the Net Coalition Discusses Call Completion Issues USF/ICC Transformation Order PRTC Discusses Connect America Cost Model IP Transition House Holds Hearing on Evolution of Wired Networks Broadband PCIA Discusses Study on Economic Impacts of Broadband Infrastructure Investments Special Access CenturyLink Seeks Review of Order Clarifying Scope of Special Access Data Collection Universal Service National Lifeline Accountability Database to Begin Accepting Subscriber Data in December FCC Seeks PRA Comments on E-Rate, Lifeline Forms Tariffs FCC Seeks PRA Comments on Electronic Tariff Reporting Requirements Caller ID U.S., Canadian, U.K. Agencies to Address Caller ID Spoofing

Call Completion

Verizon Discusses Rural Call Completion Reporting Requirements Verizon met with Commissioner Pai’s Legal Advisor on October 22, 2013, to discuss rural call completion reporting requirements. Verizon argued any call detail record retention requirements should only apply to calls to rural locations, and the only relevant data point from non-rural call records is the call answer rate, which providers could be required to retain. Verizon said if any periodic reporting is required, a holding company should have the flexibility to file a single report for all its affiliates. Verizon also argued for the adoption of a two or three-year sunset provision for reporting requirements and a six-month timeline to implement system changes for the new retention and reporting requirements.   CenturyLink Discusses Rural Call Completion Reporting, Data Collection CenturyLink met with acting Chairwoman Clyburn’s Legal Advisor and staff members of the Wireline Competition and Enforcement Bureaus on October 21, 2013, to discuss rural call completion reporting requirements. CenturyLink said any reporting requirements should be done collectively for affiliates, and suggested call hand-offs between affiliates should not be counted as exchanging traffic with intermediate providers and tandem providers should not be counted as intermediate providers either. CenturyLink also expressed concern about the excessive costs to the industry associated with data collection and storage, which would then be unavailable for IT work, IP upgrades and broadband investment.   Comcast Discusses Network Metrics, Rural Call Completion Data Collection Comcast met with Legal Advisors to acting Chairwoman Clyburn and Commissioners Pai and Rosenworcel, and staff members of the Wireline Competition and Enforcement Bureaus on October 21, 2013, to discuss rural call completion reporting requirements. Comcast argued that if call detail information is collected it should be treated as presumptively confidential. Comcast also said the FCC should employ metrics designed to properly measure the ability of networks to deliver calls to the terminating location, and use of Network Effectiveness Ratio as a more accurate measure of network performance than Answer Seizure Ratio. Comcast also urged the Commission to require all rural local exchange carriers to make a test line available to allow providers to routinely and proactively test the quality of their routes to rural termination points.   Hypercube Offers Suggestions on Resolving Call Completion Problems Hypercube filed a letter on October 23, 2013, proposing procedures to help resolve rural call completion problems. Hypercube suggested the creation of a notification service in which providers encountering call completion problems could post an alert providing information for other providers that may be in the call flow to determine whether their networks are encountering problems in completing calls. Hypercube said participation in the program would, with documented successes, provide an “earned safe harbor” for participants, exempting them from otherwise-applicable record-keeping and reporting requirements, and allowing them to allocate resources instead to problem resolution.   Voice on the Net Coalition Discusses Call Completion Issues The Voice on the Net Coalition met with Legal Advisors to acting Chairwoman Clyburn and Commissioners Rosenworcel and Pai, and staff members of the Wireline Competition Bureau on October 21, 2013, to discuss proposed requirements to measure call completion rates to rural areas. VON stated, among other things, the proposed reporting and record retention requirements are unnecessary, and claimed the record does not support that VoIP providers are responsible for rural call completion problems. VON also stated the FCC lacks authority to impose proposed requirements on interconnected or one-way-VoIP services.

USF/ICC Transformation Order

PRTC Discusses Connect America Cost Model Puerto Rico Telephone Company spoke with Wireline Competition Bureau staff on September 30, 2013, to discuss the Connect America Cost Model. PRTC informed the Bureau that it intends to supplement the record with additional Puerto Rico-specific model input data to improve the accuracy of the Commission’s CAF Phase II Cost Model. PRTC said in response, the Bureau staff requested that PRTC’s future input include its precise current plant mix data and any information that would inform the relationship between forward looking costs and historical embedded costs.

IP Transition

House Holds Hearing on Evolution of Wired Networks Opening statements and testimonies from the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on the “The Evolution of Wired Communications Networks,” held on October 23, 2013, were released.

Broadband

PCIA Discusses Study on Economic Impacts of Broadband Infrastructure Investments PCIA met with Commissioner Pai on September 30, 2013, to discuss a study prepared by Information Age Economics entitled “Wireless Broadband Infrastructure: A Catalyst for GDP and Job Growth 2013-2017.” PCIA asserted the projected economic and employment growth detailed in the study will only be realized through the establishment of policies that foster infrastructure deployment and industry investment. PCIA supports the FCC’s efforts to implement policies in its NPRM on the acceleration of broadband infrastructure deployment, and the FCC’s continued diligence in reforming the USF to more efficiently support the deployment of broadband, including wireless broadband, to unserved and underserved areas.

Special Access

CenturyLink Seeks Review of Order Clarifying Scope of Special Access Data Collection CenturyLink filed an Application for Review on October 22, 2013, of the Wireline Competition Bureau Order which clarified the scope of the special access data collection. CenturyLink seeks reversal of the portion of the Order requiring the collection of competitive dedicated services data from cable system operators on a census-block, rather than on a building-by-building basis. CenturyLink claimed if this decision is implemented, it would result in a failure to account for robust and growing cable-based competition, and it urged the Commission to correct this error. CenturyLink also asserted the Bureau exceeded its authority and acted contrary to the Data Collection Order to collect comprehensive data on all connections capable of providing dedicated services.

Universal Service

National Lifeline Accountability Database to Begin Accepting Subscriber Data in December The Wireline Competition Bureau released a Public Notice on October 23, 2013, informing ETCs receiving Lifeline support that the National Lifeline Accountability Database will be ready to accept subscriber information by December 2013. The Bureau said for December 2013 and thereafter, ETCs must provide information for existing subscribers to the NLAD by state, pursuant to a state schedule that will be issued by USAC, and for new subscribers upon initiation of service. The Bureau also directed USAC to provide additional guidance regarding the format and timing of the transmission of subscriber data to the NLAD.   FCC Seeks PRA Comments on E-Rate, Lifeline Forms The FCC published a Notice in the Federal Register on October 24, 2013, announcing it is seeking PRA comments on proposed revisions to FCC Forms 470 and 471, and the accompanying instructions (E-Rate).  The Commission said it is revising this collection in an effort to simplify the application process and to better collect information related to the broadband services being ordered by schools and libraries under the E-rate program. The Commission also seeks PRA comments on FCC Forms 497, 481, 550, 555, and 560 (Lifeline), and also proposes revisions to the Broadband Pilot Program. Comments on both information collections are due November 25, 2013.

Tariffs

FCC Seeks PRA Comments on Electronic Tariff Reporting Requirements The FCC issued a Notice in the Federal Register on October 24, 2013, seeking Paperwork Reduction Act comments on the reporting requirements associated with the Electronic Tariff Filing System that ILECs and CLECs use to file their tariffs and associated documents. The FCC noted there is no change in the reporting requirements, the annual hour burden or the annual cost burden. Comments are due by December 23, 2013.

Caller ID

U.S., Canadian, U.K. Agencies to Address Caller ID Spoofing The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced on October 21, 2013, international enforcement agencies from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom will combine resources to address caller identification spoofing, a practice in which callers conceal their true identity by using invalid phone numbers to make calls. The U.S. agencies involved in this effort include the FTC and FCC.

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

 

Subscribe | Unsubscribe