Private equity investor GI Partners' buy of Clarity Telecom (dba Vast Broadband) from the Python Holdings investment fund will give Vast access to GI's financial resources and managerial experts, they said in an FCC International Bureau application Tuesday. They sought approval for transfer of Vast's Communications Act Section 214 authorizations.
Cameron, Maryville and St. Joseph, Missouri, ordinances can't require Bluebird Network pay rights-of-way fees when it's leasing the network owned by LMW, which also is paying ROW fees, the FCC Wireline Bureau said in a declaratory ruling Monday. It granted a Bluebird and LMW petition and preempted the cities' fee requirements when they demand ROW fees from LMW duplicative of those Bluebird pays. Outside counsel for the cities didn't comment.
Comments are due Nov. 20 on an application by interconnected-VoIP provider MultiTEL for authorization to obtain North American numbering plan numbers directly from the numbering administrators, said a Thursday FCC notice in docket 20-335.
The FCC can't “lawfully” act on an iconectiv petition seeking a competitive bidding process for selecting a toll-free numbering administrator (see 2006300003) without first issuing an NPRM, Somos said. Somos representatives spoke with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai and staffers from the Wireline Bureau and Office of General Counsel, said a Tuesday posting in docket 20-174. “Neither the NPRM issued in 2017 (which primarily dealt with a prospective Toll-Free Number auction) nor the comments filed in response to that earlier NPRM addressed the issues that the iconectiv petition seeks to raise,” Somos said. “The current mechanisms for promoting competition in the Toll-Free Number ecosystem and for ensuring just and reasonable rates for the tariffed services that Somos provides have been effective.” Somos is "attempting to divert the Commission's attention from the foundation of iconectiv’s petition," a spokesperson for iconectiv emailed Wednesday: "Eliminating the existing tariff would lead to significant cost-savings for the telecommunications industry and consumers in that it will reduce the rate burden on the entire toll-free ecosystem and add critical transparency around service quality, transition preparedness, system security and similar issues, all of which are hallmarks of modern government contracts."
As part of its purchase of Uniti Fiber and its fiber and microwave assets, Midwest Fiber Holdings' Everstream Solutions seeks FCC approval to take over the related common carrier fixed point-to-point licenses. In an International Bureau filing Monday, Everstream requested a declaratory ruling OK'ing indirect foreign ownership that exceeds the 25% benchmark as Midwest Fiber is owned by limited partnerships organized in Luxembourg.
The FCC proposed a $75,000 fine for U.S. South Communications for allegedly failing repeatedly to respond to Universal Service Administrative Co. demands for records used in USF verification, the Enforcement Bureau said Monday. It said U.S. South hadn't turned over records justifying what was reported in its 2018 and 2019 telecom reporting worksheets. The company didn't comment.
The FCC Wireline Bureau said Monday two winning applicants in Puerto Rico are eligible for high-cost support, worth $127.1 million over 10 years, under Stage 2 of the Uniendo program. Liberty Communications committed to offering service to more than 914,000 locations for $71.54 million in support. Puerto Rico Telephone Co. committed to more than 308,000 for $55.56 million. “The Fund will bring modern, resilient broadband service of at least 100 Mbps to every location in Puerto Rico,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The two must file additional supporting information, due Nov. 17. All 78 muncipios are covered with fixed broadband service with speeds of at least 100 Mbps, the FCC said.
Comments are due Dec. 2, replies Dec. 17 on a Global VRS petition seeking further clarification of the FCC rule prohibiting video relay service providers from incentivizing registration for or use of their service, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Monday.
The Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) Broadband Coalition asked the FCC Friday to launch an expedited rulemaking on providing six years of additional support at current levels “in return for providing significantly faster broadband speeds to consumers more quickly than consumers otherwise would receive them.” The FCC adopted the A-CAM in 2016 for rate-of-return companies for use in distributing universal service support in high-cost areas. “The proposed enhancements could result in over 600,000 eligible locations being deployed to at speeds of 100/25 Mbps or higher,” said an undocketed petition: “The requirement to deploy broadband to eligible locations at lower speeds (i.e. 25/3 Mbps, 10/1 Mbps, and 4/1 Mbps) would decrease as, overall, new deployment obligations would bump up those locations to higher speed categories.” Telecom consultant Genny Morelli, who's leading efforts, told us the outlook is good for FCC action. “The preliminary, informal feedback from the commission has been very positive,” she said: “They recognize the need to get higher-speed broadband out to rural consumers as quickly as possible. We believe the petition provides a good vehicle to help accomplish that.”
The Rural Digital Opportunities Fund Phase 1 auction is the FCC's "biggest step yet" to close the digital divide, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said as the agency announced the start of the auction. The multi-round, descending clock auction is capped at $16 billion and will end when there's no competition for support in an area.