Interstate Access Charge Proceedings for May 2013

Compiled by Andrew Regitsky, President, Regitsky & Associates

ILECs Use Model State Legislation to Gain Regulatory Freedom from FCC

This Update normally covers FCC issues that affect telecommunications companies, thus we do not usually report on regulatory issues affecting individual states. However, we are forced to make an exception this time. That is because without any apparent national attention, twenty-five states have recently passed legislation designed to eliminate state commission authority over telecommunications carriers functioning in those states...

FCC Docket 05-25 – FCC Special Access Data Request Battle Continues Over Amount of Work Involved

The FCC’s data request to collect the data it needs to conduct a market analysis of the special access industry and possibly re-regulate ILEC special access rates continues on hold this month with no industry agreement regarding the amount of work involved in responding to the data request by the Commission. As we noted last month, the cable industry has responded negatively, stating that under the federal Paperwork Reduction Act, PRA), the Commission has the responsibility to ease the work burden on carriers as they supply the Commission with needed information...

Docket No. 13-5 – FCC Policy Task Force Seeks Comments on Industry Trials to move to IP Network

The FCC’s Technology Transitions Policy Task Force (Task Force) is requesting industry comments on real-world market trials to obtain a factual record to help determine the appropriate policies to promote investment and innovation while protecting consumers, promoting competition and ensuring that emerging all-Internet Protocol (IP) networks remain resilient. Specifically, the Task Force seeks comments on several potential trials related to the transition from copper to fiber, from wireline to wireless and from time-division multiplexing (TDM) to IP networks...

Read the complete text of the FCC updates here (a PDF will open).