Florida PSC Commissioner Sees Opportunities for Growth in a Deregulated, Wireless State
State public service commissions can survive in the post-deregulation era if they can identify ways to best serve the industry while ensuring that customers continue receiving reliable services, said Florida Public Service Commission Chairman Ronald Brise in his August newsletter published Friday (http://bit.ly/15cEaJR). As the nation transitions from traditional wireline networks to “largely unregulated IP-enabled services,” wireless and other forms of communication, NARUC’s Federalism Task Force will continue focusing on protecting consumers, ensuring public safety, ensuring networks remain ubiquitous and interconnected and ensuring consumers benefit from voice and broadband services, said Brise. He is on the task force, which released its final draft of its report Aug. 26. It had called for more cooperation between the FCC and the state PSCs (CD Aug 28 p10).
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States are “uniquely positioned” to work with the FCC, industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders to use their “feet on the street” experience to solve customer complaints, said Brise. The task force does “recognize that one-size regulatory solutions rarely fit and that the states are in different places as a result of their governing statutes,” said Brise. “Bottom line is that 21st century communications should continue to meet the needs of all citizens, regardless of their location and the type of service they choose.” In Florida, the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Consumer Services now has the ability to resolve call completion, slamming and cramming, and the PSC processes cases involving area code relief, number conservation plans, number resource reclamation, local number portability and other numbering issues, said Brise.
Mobile and VoIP markets are continuing to grow in Florida, said Brise, quoting from a report on competition sent to the Florida legislature (http://bit.ly/195K6Hy). The number of residential VoIP customers in Florida grew from 2.4 million to 2.7 million between 2011 and 2012, an increase of about 12 percent, and the number of VoIP lines in residential and business grew 27 percent from 2011 to 2012, said the report. The CLECs’ market share of all wireline access lines in Florida increased to 26 percent in December 2012 from 20 percent in 2011, and the total number of ILEC access lines decreased by 17 percent between 2011 and 2012, the report said. The PSC requested data from 10 ILECs and 266 CLECs in the state of Florida for information from December 2011 to December 2012 for the report.
AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon remained the three largest ILECS providing wireline services in Florida, but all three saw decreases in residential and business wireline access, by 17 percent overall, said Brise. AT&T and Verizon had increased wireless subscriptions as well as subscriptions to digital voice services over VoIP, as customers moved away from traditional circuit-switched services, said the report. All three companies declined to comment. The state will continue to work with the FCC through its Lifeline and Relay programs, said Brise. “In this new climate, where the competitive marketplace now ensures network quality and reliability, I predict a more advanced service -- perhaps not even invented, yet -- will replace today’s offerings, still benefitting consumers and contributing to economic growth.” (sfriedman@warren-news.com)