WB Grants 2, Denies 1 CAF BLS, ACAM II Pretesting Waivers

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted two requests and denied one request to waive Connect America Fund broadband loop support and alternative connect America model II support pretesting requirements, said an order Wednesday in docket 10-90. Castleberry Telephone was granted a waiver for the first two quarters of 2022, citing its "reasonable attempt to complete the required testing on a timely basis." The bureau also granted in part Ringsted Telephone's request to waive testing requirements for the first two quarters, denying the company's request to waive pretesting during the third quarter. It denied Venus Telephone's request for a waiver of pretesting during the first quarter of 2022, saying the company "does not state or provide evidence that it ordered equipment for speed and latency testing in preparation for pre-testing" and "waited until the first quarter of 2022 when pre-testing should already have started." It's "imperative" that carriers "continue to put testing capabilities into place, so that they are able to correctly perform the necessary testing in 2023," the order said.