Provider commissions to states and the "market power" of incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS) are the "two main economic distortions that disadvantage incarcerated individuals," said Georgetown University economist Nathan Miller in a letter to the FCC posted Thursday in docket 23-62. Miller noted eliminating commissions or "introducing new, meaningful competition or capping phone prices well below current levels" would lower prices while allowing IPCS providers to remain profitable. IPCS "can be provided profitably" if offered at lower prices, Miller said. "Obtaining these lower prices likely requires regulation or alternative procurement practices due to the market power" of IPCS providers, he said, citing a report he co-authored with Georgetown University economist Gretchen Sileo and Sciences Po economist Marleen Marra.
Cogent Communications stock price was up 8% Wednesday, to $73.58, after closing its acquisition of a long-haul fiber network and other wireline assets from T-Mobile. Bank of America’s David Barden also upgraded Cogent two notches, to buy from underperform. Barden told investors he expects Cogent management to "swiftly leverage its existing platform and sales force to realize synergies and transition the acquired business from losses to profit." The former Sprint’s assets had been a money loser for T-Mobile (see 2209070039).
Chickasaw Telephone and Totah Communications asked the FCC to adopt the Alternative Connect America Model (ACAM) Broadband Coalition’s proposal to modernize ACAM, saying “time was of the essence” (see 2205190023). The providers, in a meeting with aides to Commissioner Brendan Carr, backed waiving the budget control mechanism for Connect America Fund-broadband loop support recipients for “at least the rapidly approaching support year,” said an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-476. “Without such a waiver, CAF-BLS recipients will be adversely impacted by a very significant reduction of their support,” the providers said. They also noted the “justification for contributions of large edge providers” to the USF, citing the “increased middle mile and last mile costs caused by video streaming.”
The FCC wants comments by June 2, replies by June 20, on its proposed 2023 mandatory data collection for incarcerated people’s communications services, said a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register. Comments are also sought in docket 12-375 on the draft template released last week (see 2304280034).
Southeastern Rural Broadband Alliance representatives asked the FCC to revise the Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support (BLS) and address the Alternative Connect America Cost Model at the same time. Doing so would “help ensure that all consumers in high-cost, rural areas have access to reliable 100/20 Mbps broadband, while providing certainty for providers and avoiding duplicative funding with other agencies’ programs that are focused on this same goal,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 10-90. “Adopting a voluntary path to incentive regulation for CAF-BLS recipients not only reduce[s] the demands and size of the high-cost fund by approximately $600 [million] to $1.2 [billion] over 5 years, but it would also reap significant efficiencies,” the alliance told Wireline Bureau staff.
The FCC Wireline Bureau released its proposed template for the 2023 mandatory data collection for incarcerated people's communications services, in a filing posted Friday in docket 12-375. Commissioners reaffirmed the bureau's data collection authority in March, directing staff to update the existing collection based on the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act (see 2303160009).
The State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance raised concerns about the E-rate program in a virtual meeting with FCC Wireline Bureau staff. The group repeated its opposition to the proposed competitive bidding portal, saying it would be "difficult if not impossible to accommodate the unique and different bidding requirements already in effect at the state and local level across the country," per an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 02-6. SECA asked that E-rate be streamlined by having the Universal Service Administrative Co. "provide the ancillary use option" during program integrity assurance reviews and audits "as an alternative to the strict cost allocation requirement." The group also raised concerns about delays for Emergency Connectivity Program applicants regarding the approval of post-commitment requests, saying the delays are "causing hardship for applicants and service providers to timely order and receive equipment and services."
The FCC committed nearly $21 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Wednesday. The new funding will support 50 schools, five libraries and three consortiums, said a news release.
Opposition to the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's plan to place cost and demand data filed in 2023 by video relay service providers in the record for its rulemaking on VRS compensation is due May 3, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123 (see 2107300056). The bureau said it also intends to include VRS providers' "completed [Telecom Relay Service] Fund annual provider form and TRS Fund annual provider form appendix."
Noting the FCC fine stemming from its VoIP-related 911 outage (see 304240063), Shentel emailed us Tuesday it "takes our 911 obligations very seriously, and we have already implemented new processes and procedures to prevent similar events from happening in the future." It said callers in the outage experienced one-way audio, but their numbers and locations "were successfully delivered to the 911 call center, and 911 operators were able to place return calls to communicate with the 911 callers."