TOP OF THE NEWS
Wheeler, O'Rielly Confirmed by Senate for FCC Posts
On October 29, the Senate confirmed Tom Wheeler as FCC chairman, and Michael P. O'Rielly as a commissioner. In a statement, COMPTEL said, "We look forward to working with them and the full Commission as they continue to focus on issues that are critical to preserving and promoting competition in the communications industry, such as modernizing the agency's last mile access policies, finalizing special access reform and promoting IP interconnection for voice services."
Today, Wheeler announced his staff appointments, which include:
- Ruth Milkman, Chief of Staff
- Philip Verveer, Senior Counselor to the Chairman
- Gigi B. Sohn, Special Counsel for External Affairs
- Diane Cornell, Special Counsel
- Daniel Alvarez, Legal Advisor to the Chairman, with responsibility for issues in the Wireline Competition and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureaus
- Renee Gregory, Legal Advisor to the Chairman, with responsibility for issues in the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and incentive auction issues
- Maria Kirby, Legal Advisor to the Chairman, with responsibility for issues in the Media, Consumer and Governmental Affairs and Enforcement Bureaus
- Deborah Ridley, Confidential Assistant to the Chairman
- Sagar Doshi, Special Assistant to the Chairman
- Jon Sallet, Interim Director of the Technology Transitions Policy Task Force and will become Acting General Counsel upon General Counsel Sean Lev's departure before the end of the year.
- Jon Wilkins, Acting Managing Director and Advisor to the Chairman for Management
- Roger Sherman, Acting Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
COMPTEL also thanked Chairwoman Clyburn for her leadership at the agency, noting that "[h]er commitment to fostering competition and protecting consumers has been evident throughout her tenure. COMPTEL applauds her actions during her chairmanship to advance special access reform, improve interoperability for mobile services and support to improve the Lifeline program for the benefit of low-income consumers."
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SPECIAL ACCESS
COMPTEL Denounces AT&T's Actions to Eliminate Longer-Term Special Access Contracts
On October 28, COMPTEL filed an ex parte with the Federal Communications Commission denouncing AT&T's plans to eliminate the long-term contracts that have higher pricing discounts than its shorter-term contracts, without a corresponding reduction in price of the shorter-term contracts.
If it is ultimately implemented, the move will leave purchasers of these special access services with a substantial price increase and still no viable alternative. However, AT&T, bowing to industry pressure, indicated that it would hold off on implementing the changes for a month.
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DATA REQUEST
COMPTEL to Host Members Only Call on Thursday about FCC Mandatory Special Access Data Collection
COMPTEL invites its members to take part in a conference call this Thursday, November 7, at 11 a.m. to explore the specifics of the FCC's mandatory special access data collection. Discussion leaders Rochelle Jones of tw telecom inc. and Nirali Patel of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP will walk participants through the information request and take questions.
For more information or to receive the dial-in information, please e-mail Jenny Gilbert or call 202-296-6650.
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COMPTEL PLUS
COMPTEL PLUS Sessions Proposals Due Next Tuesday
Do you have uniqued insights into business strategies, innovative technologies or regulatory trends that are shaping the future of the competitive communications industry? If so, we are now accepting session proposals for the COMPTEL PLUS Spring 2014 Convention & EXPO, which is scheduled for March 16-19 in Las Vegas.
Proposals must be submitted online by no later than Tuesday, November 12.
Themes under consideration include the cable market, cloud solutions, cybersecurity, Ethernet, mergers and acquisitions, new services and revenue opportunities, network technologies and deployment strategies, regulatory issues and wireless. To see more details about each of these categories, visit our session proposal page. We also welcome your input on other relevant, thought-provoking and timely topics, panel discussions and case studies that would be of interest to the communications industry. For your session idea to be considered, you must include: the proposed session title, an abstract, a brief description of the timeliness and relevancy of the topic, and bio of the proposed speaker.
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AT THE FCC
FCC Seeks Comments on Revisions to USF Form 499
The FCC is seeking comments by November 27 on the proposed revisions to USF Form 499. The Commission has incorporated the refinements to the reseller/wholesaler certification language proposed by the industry group last summer and clarified the safe harbor and reasonable expectation standards for carriers that report revenues from resellers.
Last month, COMPTEL filed a letter supporting the refinements proposed by the industry group, without prejudice to our argument that the FCC needs to reconsider its determination that revenues from leased special access facilities used as inputs to broadband Internet access service are subject to USF assessment, while revenues from owned special access facilities or facilities purchased on a private carriage basis are not.
FCC Adopts Rural Call Completion Report & Order
On October 28, the FCC adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) that requires key providers to record, retain and report rural call completion data to give the FCC the information it needs to investigate and eliminate the problem. Providers may use this information to improve performance on their own. The data also will allow state regulators to better monitor performance and identify problem areas. In addition to providing the FCC with data to better monitor and redress call completion problems, the order includes a safe harbor provision with incentives for providers to improve their call completion practices and performance.
For more details, see the FCC press release.
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ON THE HILL
Senate Subcommittee Explores Broadband Adoption
On October 29, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet hosted a hearing on "Broadband Adoption: The Next Mile" to examine how to increase broadband adoption in the United States. Witnesses included representatives from the Blandin Foundation, Broadband for America, California Emerging Technology Fund, Comcast Corporation and Pew Research Center.
To view the archived webcast, visit the Committee's website.
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WEBINAR
Learn More about UNITEL Benefits Program
in the COMPTEL Webinar Archives
COMPTEL has partnered with UNITEL Insurance to provide its members an opportunity to enhance employee benefits while potentially saving money. Healthcare reform continues to dominate the focus for companies offering medical benefits, forcing companies to look at ways to reduce benefits to control cost. During a webinar last week, UNITEL explained how it can help COMPTEL members to maximize investments in employee life, short-term disability, long-term disability and critical illness benefits. To access the webinar archive, visit the COMPTEL website.
COMPTEL Webinar Program The UNITEL webinar is part of the COMPTEL Webinar Program, which is powered by Copper Services. For more information about hosting your own Webinar, please e-mail Tracy MacDonald or call 202-296-6650.
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CYBER SECURITY
NIST to Host Workshop on Cyber Security Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released its final draft cybersecurity framework, which will be open for a 45-day public comment period.
A workshop to discuss the framework is scheduled for November 14 and 15 at North Carolina State University. The final framework is still scheduled for publication in February 2014.
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COMMITTEE MEETINGS
All COMPTEL Committee meetings are held at the Association's headquarters, 1200 G St NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005, unless otherwise noted. All times listed are Eastern. For more information, call 202-296-6650.
November 5 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
November 12 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
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