An FCC order doesn't explicitly supersede interexchange carriers' obligation to pay access charges on intraMTA calls when IXCs use LECs' tariffed access services, said appellees CenturyLink Affiliates and LECs in a Tuesday supplemental brief in IntraMTA Switched Access Charges Litigation case no. 18-10768 (in Pacer) before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument was heard Feb. 4 in New Orleans. The court should reverse its judgment in the case "because all intraMTA traffic is local traffic, and local traffic is not subject to access charges," said Sprint, MCI and Verizon. They argue the FCC "explicitly superseded the access charge regime for all traffic." Both sides can file replies by Feb. 28.

Telecom carriers and interconnected VoIP providers must file annual certification documenting compliance with Customer Proprietary Network Information rules by March 2, the FCC's Enforcement bureau said in an advisory in docket 06-36 in Wednesday's Daily Digest.

The FCC Wireline Bureau is "working on clarifying some ambiguities" in an order on reconsideration on broadband testing requirements for support recipients in USF high-cost programs, officials in the Telecommunications Access Policy Division told FCBA members Wednesday at an event on high-cost USF support. The clarification is meant to help eligible telecommunications carriers in USF programs such as Connect America Fund Phase II or the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund adhere to the different compliance milestones in the different high-cost programs, officials said. The commission voted on the performance measurement rules in October (see 1910220007).

The FCC Wireline Bureau released the 2020 version of its annual telecommunications revenues reporting worksheet and instructions for form 499-A and its quarterly 499-Q, said a Tuesday public notice in docket 06-122.

USTelecom met with FCC Wireline Deputy Bureau Chief Lisa Hone and an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on its effort to develop a consensus proposal on 8YY revisions as the agency seeks to transition many rate elements to bill and keep (see 1809050027). The group "emphasized the need for a suitable recovery mechanism that would allow carriers to recover 8YY originating access revenues as intercarrier compensation reforms are implemented," it said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-156. Those mechanisms should differ for price cap and rate-of-return ILECs, it added.

USTelecom asked the FCC to reject an Incompas petition to exclude from a proposed Digital Opportunity Data Collection rulemaking the definition of "facilities-based" broadband any providers that supply service through the purchase or lease of capacity of last-mile facilities from others, in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195.

Compliance with the FCC's modified information collection requirements for its revised IP captioned telephone service rules in docket 13-24 takes effect Wednesday, after OMB approved them in December, says Wednesday's Federal Register.

The FCC corrected the final rule for implementing Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act after an earlier Federal Register document for docket 18-261 inadvertently removed definitions from the agency's rules for telecommunications relay services, says Wednesday's FR.

Industry supports FCC goals to protect USF from waste, fraud and abuse but wants clearer standards and sufficient due process procedures in proposed suspension and debarment rules, said comments posted through Friday in docket 19-309. "The proposed rules reach a far broader range of conduct than contemplated by the OMB guidelines, potentially punishing many good actors for the sake of expediting penalties against a few bad ones," said CTIA and USTelecom. "Consider alternative measures before initiating suspension or debarment procedures," said America's Communications Association, Incompas and NTCA. Encourage self-governance and consider mitigating factors, they said. Bureaus "should be given delegated authority to grant exceptions" when it serves the public interest, said the Wireless ISP Association. USF participants should be allowed to continue receiving services from a suspended provider for the duration of a contract that existed before the FCC acts, said the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance. Don't apply new rules retroactively, said NCTA. "Grounds for suspension or debarment should only include egregious offenses," said Cellular South. E-Rate Central said the NPRM doesn't discuss "the necessity of coordinating any planned enforcement action, if only on an advisory basis, with appropriate state agencies."

Comments are due Feb. 24, replies March 2 on a proposed FCC rule to implement the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (Traced) by establishing a process to register a consortium to conduct industry-led efforts to trace suspected unlawful robocalls, says Friday's Federal Register. Commissioners OK'd the NPRM, in docket 20-22, earlier this month (see 2002060038).