Allband Cites 'Dire Need' for FCC Waiver, Increased USF Support to Service RUS Loan
Allband Communications Cooperative asked the FCC to almost double its USF support from its current $250 per line, citing a "dire need" for "prompt action." Allband requires a "minimum of $457 per line in order to continue its services and…
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operations" as an incumbent telco "and to meet its expense obligations, including payments on its current federal loan" issued by the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), said a petition for a waiver Thursday of a Part 54.302 rule in docket 10-90. The ILEC noted a previous emergency petition for increasing its USF support to $375 per line "necessary to cover Allband's fixed costs, which costs exist irrespective of the employee time or affiliate cost allocations assigned" for Universal Service Administrative Co. review by a July 20, 2016, FCC order. "Aside from the temporary six-month partial deferral of the RUS loan payment obligation approved by RUS in March 2017, this RUS loan payment obligation equals $54,147.17 per month, or $334 per-line. ... The $250 per-line support caps imposed by the [2016 order] falls considerably short of even covering [Allband's] monthly payments on its RUS loan," it said.