Alaska Group, GCI Urge FCC To Approve Plan for USF Changes in State

The Alaska Telephone Association called on the FCC to adopt the group's proposals to encourage broadband deployment in the state (the "Alaska Plan"). The commission should approve the Alaska Plan when it overhauls USF support mechanisms for rural rate-of-return carriers, the ATA said in a filing posted Monday in docket 10-90. "In adopting the Plan, the Commission should freeze support at 2011 levels adjusted to account for corporate operations expense limits and the $250 cap per line per month, and include both the incumbent LEC and CETC [competitive eligible telecom carrier] components," said the group, which called the proposals a "carefully coordinated and unified approach" to reforming support for both wireline ILECs and mobile CETCs. General Communications backed the Alaska Plan, the company said in a filing posted Friday on a meeting with agency officials.