The FCC Wireline Bureau designated four eligible telecom carriers for Connect America Phase II support via New York’s broadband program. DTC, Haefele, MTC Cable and OEConnect met eligibility requirements, said Tuesday’s order. “Petitioners must meet Connect America Phase II requirements, Lifeline requirements, and other service obligations attendant to their high-cost designations.”
Frontier Communications Q1 sales and operating income fell from the year-ago period as some customers departed, a trend seen at some other telcos. Revenue fell about 4 percent to $2.1 billion, and operating income was down about 9 percent to $339 million. Total customers including businesses fell about 7.8 percent to 4.39 million. Broadband, video and Dish Network subscribers declined. Consumer copper broadband sub losses “more than halved sequentially,” CEO Dan McCarthy said Tuesday. “Nonetheless we have substantial work ahead." About 496,000 locations are enabled with Connect America Fund Phase II broadband, the carrier reported. The company recently added CAF locations, interim Chief Financial Officer Sheldon Bruha told analysts. It's building fiber to the home to some 19,000 rural households, "leveraging state funding sources," Frontier said. "Fixed wireless broadband builds continue in CAF areas." Mead is "pleased that the FCC is beginning to move forward with planning for the next phase” of such subsidies (see 1904120008), he said. There were "substantial improvement in broadband unit trends," the company said. "Fiber improvements reflect stronger gross additions."
The FCC should approve GlobalVRS’ application for certification to provide video relay service, said consumer groups for the deaf and hard of hearing in a filing posted Friday in docket 03-123. “GlobalVRS has a strong record of providing VRS for users who are deaf and use Spanish as their primary or secondary language,” said Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association of the Deaf, Cerebral Palsy and Deaf Organization, American Association of the DeafBlind and Hearing Loss Association of America. Its loss as a VRS provider would result in “an immediate loss of access” for consumers who rely on real time text for Braille and low-vision text access to VRS. Noting a limited number of VRS providers, the groups supported “prompt action” on pending “full VRS certification applications, as amended,” by Purple, Sorenson and ZVRS.
Windstream is asking the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to lift a stay put on a proceeding by inter-exchange carriers on a lower court's ruling about access charges imposed on them by LECs (see 1904050033), per a motion Friday (in Pacer, docket 18-10768). The stay was automatic when Windstream filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The telco said its ask for the stay to be lifted follows a U.S. bankruptcy court's modification of the automatic stay to let the company proceed with the LEC litigation.
The FCC Wireline Bureau seeks additional “focused” comments by May 9, replies May 16 in the business data services and USTelecom forbearance petition proceedings (see 1904190048), noted Wednesday’s Federal Register. Dockets include 17-144.
Comments are due May 24, replies June 24, on a joint CenturyLink-Reservation Telephone Cooperative petition for waiver of the FCC's study area boundary freeze so as to expand an RTC exchange in North Dakota to include parts of CenturyLink exchanges, said a public notice in Thursday's Daily Digest. The waiver also asks that RTC be allowed into the National Exchange Carrier Association tariff pool on close of the transaction.
Alabama Power continues to charge "egregiously high" pole attachment rates since the 2011 pole attachment order that should have meant its rate reduced significantly, AT&T Alabama said in an FCC docket 19-119 complaint Wednesday. It said it's paying multiple times the $8.35 per pole rate it should be charged, and Alabama Power hasn't shown AT&T is enjoying some benefit from the joint use agreement between the two companies that AT&T competitors aren't. The telco asks the FCC to set a "just and reasonable rate" retroactive to the 2012 rental year, and that the utility provide a refund. Alabama Power emailed that it and AT&T "have had a longstanding relationship regarding pole-sharing" and the utility is "reviewing the filing and will address its claims through the appropriate channels.”
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted appellee Hilton Grand Vacations' request for a stay in a consumer's appeal in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act case (see 1903130025) pending the Supreme Court's decision in another TCPA case, PDR Network vs. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic, said a docket order Wednesday (in Pacer, docket 18-14499).
The FCC Wireline Bureau seeks comment by May 8 on a refund plan filed by South Dakota Network, said a public notice Tuesday on docket 18-100. The FCC found an SDN revised rate tariff for its centralized equal access service unlawful (see 1903010004) and directed it “to work with the Bureau to file revised tariffed rates and refunds if appropriate,” said the PN.
Ohio's Public Utilities Commission shouldn’t delay implementing a rule, not effective for four years, that allows local phone companies to apply for clearance to increase basic local exchange rates without limitation, the Ohio Telecom Association replied Monday in docket 19-173-TP-ORD. Consumer groups sought delay of that part of a recent state law (see 1904110026). “Delay in approving the rule would not be lawful” and “would inject additional uncertainty into financial decisions that are made over years, not at the last minute,” OTA said. The Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association agreed. If the PUC adopts the rule, the Office of Consumer Counsel should be given advance notice of applications for unlimited price increases to protect consumers, OCC and other consumer groups replied.