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The FCC is “in the process of seeking...

The FCC is “in the process of seeking PRA approval” for its special access data request, Wireline Bureau Chief Julie Veach told the Practising Law Institute telecom seminar Thursday, referring to the Paperwork Reduction Act review performed by the Office…

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of Management and Budget. The bureau is also building the information technology necessary to manage the data collection, from an internal logistical perspective, she said: “How do we house all this stuff in an extremely secure environment” that still allows the FCC to analyze it, while also providing a “portal, or a clean room” for parties in the proceeding to participate “in a meaningful way"? The bureau is “looking at it both from an IT perspective and a policy perspective and a legal perspective” to ensure everything is done with “utmost care” and in a way to “ensure our APA values,” she said, referring to the Administrative Procedure Act. The bureau is also “working to develop an order for the commission’s consideration at the January meeting that will address the next steps for the commission as we move forward with tech transitions.” The bureau plans to submit a report by the end of January about the ongoing trial on direct access to numbers by VoIP providers. The bureau hopes to ensure that “numbers are administered as the finite resource that they are” while still looking toward a future where numbers aren’t necessarily linked to geographic areas, Veach said. The commission is also very concerned about rural call completion problems, she said. The bureau hopes that its recent orders, including banning fake ringing tones, will give the commission “a much better handle at what’s going on,” and enable it to take more targeted enforcement actions, she said.