An FCC Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau order granted limited waiver of expiration of an at-home call handling pilot program for video relay service, extending the program through April 30, or the effective date of an FCC decision on at-home call handling, whichever comes first, posted in docket 10-51 and in Thursday's Daily Digest. Some say the VRS pilot needs evaluation (see 1909050046).

CenturyLink wants municipal or cooperative utilities that win or partner to win support from the USF Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to be required to provide access to their poles to telecom providers consistent with FCC pole attachment rules, it posted Thursday in docket 17-84. "Unreasonable rates, terms, and conditions for access to municipal and cooperative utility poles have persisted due to the absence of meaningful regulatory oversight at the federal, state and local levels."

The FCC released an order Wednesday deleting two tariff rules, approved last week 5-0 with little discussion (see 1910250036). The draft and final order were virtually the same, based on a side-by-side comparison. Only Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly submitted statements. “In short, when it comes to eliminating outdated rules, this Commission has gotten the memo,” Pai said. The rule allows a carrier to cross-reference its own tariffs with those of affiliates and removed a requirement providers file a “short form tariff review plan,” 90 days before the effective date of their annual access charge tariffs.

The FCC declaratory ruling on regulatory 911 fee parity between traditional voice and VoIP services, posted Wednesday on docket 19-44 after a unanimous commissioners' vote Friday (see 1910250063), showed no changes from the draft, according to our side-by-side comparison.

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted petitions from rate-of-return carriers Lakeland Communications and Sunflower Enterprises for waivers of intercarrier compensation rules to let the LECs merge study areas, in an order posted Monday on docket 19-103. Sunflower wants to join two commonly owned study areas in Mississippi: Sledge Telephone and Lakeside; Lakeland wants to merge two commonly owned study areas in Wisconsin: the Luck study area code and Milltown's.

Updating the intercarrier compensation regime to cut access arbitrage is effective Nov. 27, says Monday's Federal Register. A competitive LEC "shall not file a tariffed rate that is assessable to an interexchange carrier for terminating switched access tandem switching or terminating switched access tandem transport access charges for any traffic between the tandem and the local exchange carrier's terminating end office or equivalent," said the rule.

FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Friday he doesn't support a recent recommendation to include an assessment on broadband usage to help support USF programs. Earlier this month, state members of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service asked the FCC in docket 96-45 to expand its contribution base to include a fee on internet access service (see 1910150045). "We're at a crossroads," O'Rielly said during commissioners' Friday meeting. He said the board would meet again when some of the state members suggest other ideas to address the contribution base. "It's difficult to find common ground," O'Rielly told us in Q&A. Many say the contribution factor is growing unsustainably (see 1909130003).

The FCC Public Safety Bureau activated the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) for California's public safety power shutoffs. The bureau sought information Thursday from communications providers on equipment status, restoration efforts and if they’re using commercial or backup power, if they provide service to Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, San Diego, San Mateo, Sierra, Sonoma or Tehama counties. “Reports are requested at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 25, 2019, and every day after that by 10:00 a.m. until DIRS is deactivated,” it said. DIRS is a voluntary regime. Regulatory authorities and consumer advocates want telecom companies to harden their networks and better educate their customers about how to stay connected (see 1910110008).

The FCC Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau granted a consumer slamming complaint against Netcom Systems Group for changing long-distance service from CenturyLink after misrepresentation during a telemarketing pitch, in an order Wednesday. Netcom may not pursue collection against the complainant for the unauthorized charge.

AT&T is disputing 123.net claims AT&T should have known earlier overcharges from Westphalia on behalf of 123.net, dba Local Exchange Carriers of Michigan, in 2012 were improper, in replies posted Wednesday to the FCC Enforcement Bureau proceeding 19-222. The entirety of AT&T's claims in the billing dispute fall within a two-year statute of limitations, the long-distance carrier said. AT&T filed a formal complaint this summer (see 1908080035).