Volume 97, May 2010

Editor:  Karen Pearl

Headlines

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 ASSOCIATION NEWS

Convention

Harvey's Resort & Casino has announced that they will lower the NTA convention group rate for hotel rooms significantly over last year.  So if you were thinking of staying somewhere else, think again.  Mountain Tower rooms will now be $79 per night and Lake Tower rooms will be $99 per night.  More information will be made available in the near future.  Keep Harvey's Resort & Casino in mind for any of your lodging needs.  They go above and beyond to help out the Association and hopefully you will reciprocate for other business and personal needs.

 Industry News

CenturyTel to Acquire Qwest

Mid America Computer Corporation (MACC) has a new product called Mobile Pay

OPASTCO 4/29 Letter to Agriculture Sec. Vilsack - National Broadband Plan

Google Exec: Incumbent Telcos Welcome On Our Gigabit Network

State Telecom Regulators Urge ‘Sunshine Law’ Reform

NARUC Applauds FCC Decision on Broadband Data Collection

WTA Joins NECA, NTCA, OPASTCO and ERTA in Filing Comments Regarding Separations Freeze

WTA Joins NTCA, OPASTCO, ITTA, ACA and USTelecom in Opposing Petition to Publicly Release Form 477 Data

WTA Joins NECA and Other Associations Opposing GNAPs’ Petition for Declaratory Regarding Access Charges

ITTA, National Associations Oppose Release of Competitively Sensitive Data - Call on FCC to Invoke Full Strength of FOIA Standards

ITTA Issues Statement on FCC Non-Rural USF Order Finds Latest FCC Order Does Not Take Opportunity to Make Meaningful Adjustments to USF

OPASTCO, TIA Sign Strategic Cooperative Agreement

OPASTCO announced that it has signed a friendship agreement with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), with the aim of enhancing the benefits each trade group offers to its members.  Both groups will share specific member benefits of interest to its respective memberships.
    "Through this joint effort with TIA, OPASTCO plans to make our meetings even more vibrant and compelling," said OPASTCO President John Rose. "This is a unique opportunity to further enhance the value of our events, including our convention and tradeshow, for our carrier members. This, in turn, augments the experience for our exhibitors and sponsors." (Source: OPASTCO 411, 4/13/10)

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FCC News

Text of USF NPRM Focuses On Reforming Cap Growth

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FCC Announces Broadband Action Agenda

The FCC released on April 8 its Broadband Action Agenda, which details its proposed timeline for implementing in 2010 key recommendations of the National Broadband Plan that involve rulemakings and other notice-and-comment proceedings.      Specific details about this agenda and an implementation schedule can be found at Broadband.gov. (Source OPASTCO 411, 4/13/10)

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FCC Takes Another Step to Reform Universal Service Fund

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Senators Grill FCC Chief Over National Broadband Plan

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D.C. Circuit Court Rules Against FCC Net Neutrality Order

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion in which it overturned a 2008 FCC order that Comcast treat all Internet traffic on its network equally.  The court found that "the Commission has failed to tie its assertion of ancillary authority over Comcast's Internet service to any 'statutorily mandated responsibility.'"
     In a spokesperson statement, the FCC said that it remained "firmly committed to promoting an open Internet and to policies that will bring the enormous benefits of broadband to all Americans. The court decision invalidated the prior Commission's approach to preserving an open Internet.  But the Court in no way disagreed with the importance of preserving a free and open Internet; nor did it close the door to other methods for achieving this important end."
     Statements on this decision by the FCC commissioners can be found at the FCC Website. (Source:  OPASTCO 411, 4/6/10)

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FCC Issues NOI, NPRM on USF Reform as Proposed by the National Broadband Plan

The FCC adopted at its open meeting Notice of Inquiry (NOI) and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding reform of the Universal Service Fund (USF) per recommendations made in the National Broadband Plan.  The objective of such reform would be to transform the USF from supporting wireline voice service to affordable, high-speed broadband access.
    The NOI seeks public comment on the following:

The use of an economic model, which would estimate the gap between the cost of deploying broadband in unserved areas and the potential additional revenue generated from such investment, to target support for those areas where there is no private-sector business case for carriers to provide broadband and voice services;

How that model could be adapted to determine efficient levels of USF support for other areas; and

How to quickly provide consumers in unserved areas with broadband access while the Commission considers final rules to implement fully the proposed Connect America Fund (CAF), which would support broadband without increasing the size of the USF beyond its baseline projection for 2010.

     The NPRM, meanwhile, seeks public comment on the following:

Proposals to cut certain legacy USF support in high-cost areas so as to shift support to broadband communications, including:

Capping the size of the USF High-Cost Program at 2010 levels;

Re-examining the current regulatory framework for smaller carriers in light of competition and growth in unregulated revenues; and

Phasing out support for multiple competitors in areas where the market cannot support at least one provider.

Comments will be due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Reply comments will be due 90 days after publication. (Source:  OPASTCO 411, 4/22/10)

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FCC Publishes Broadband Assessment Model, Public Safety Wireless Broadband Network White Paper

The FCC recently released two papers pertaining to recommendations made in the National Broadband Plan (NBP):

	Broadband Assessment Model, which details the development of an economic model to establish the baseline of current broadband deployment in all U.S. geographic regions and determine the costs of deploying broadband to currently unserved areas; and
	A Broadband Network Cost Model, which is a white paper study that addresses the NBP's recommendations to create and economically viable, technically sound and robust interoperable public safety wireless broadband network across the U.S.

(Source:  OPASTCO 411, 4/27/10)

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Court Deals Blow To FCC On "Net Neutrality," Broadband

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FCC Sets Schedule For 2010 Annual Access Tariff Filings

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Federal Legislation

Steve Kraskin on the National Broadband Plan

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House Passes Caller ID Spoofing Bill

The House of Representatives yesterday passed H.R. 1258, the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010.  The bill would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the manipulation of caller identification information.  (Source:  OPASTCO 411, 4/25/10)

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Broadband Stimulus

What's New at BroadbandUSA.gov

Nevada Broadband Task Force to send its Round 2 Recommendations in May

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced that broadband service providers wishing voluntarily to provide information on the services they provide in the proposed funded service areas of any of the submitted Comprehensive Community Infrastructure (CCI) projects for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) will have until 5 p.m. EDT on May 10, 2010. Thus, the window is now open on challenges to BTOP Round 2 applications, and the clock is ticking. This does not apply to Rural Utilities Service (RUS) applications, which will be posted in a separate notice.

Such BTOP information should include the broadband services they currently offer in their respective service territories by Census block group or tract. This comment period adds 10 days to the 15-day period originally provided in the BTOP Notice of Funds Availability for the second funding round (Second NOFA). (Source:  BloostonLaw, 4/21/10)

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Service Provider Responses - Announcement of Proposed Funded Service Areas Comment Period

Commerce Announces Final Grant Awards from First Funding Round

Announcement Completes Round One of Commerce Department Recovery Act Broadband Funding

Commerce Department Inspector General Scores BTOP

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