The Federal Communications Commission has delayed until fall its truth-in-billing rules because the Office of Management and Budget did not approve of the information collections portion of the rules. The rules were adopted April 15, but now will not be effective until at least Sept. 7. The truth-in-billing effort began when the long-distance industry started using line items to indicate universal service contributions. The FCC and lawmakers on Capitol Hill disliked the line items because they exposed that it would be consumers, not telephone giants, that would be paying for universal service.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association told the Federal Communications Commission last week its regulatory fee analysis of the commercial mobile radio services market was “woefully inadequate and patently arbitrary.” CTIA is asking the FCC to reconsider its order. CTIA believes such reconsideration should amount to wireless carriers paying fewer regulatory fees.
The Federal Communications Commission and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) are forming a task force to examine ways for rural America to get access to advanced services. FCC Chairman William Kennard has been working with members of Congress on the issue since last spring. At its annual meeting last month, NARUC passed a resolution to create “a strategic dialogue on innovative approaches to promote universal access to advanced telecommunications capabilities.”
Ericsson Inc. is urging the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its strongest-signal rules to change the date of compliance. Currently, all handsets capable of operating in the analog mode manufactured after Feb. 13 must be programmed to better complete calls than what is currently possible. Ericsson argued the rules should only apply to phones for which equipment authorizations are filed after Feb. 13. Ericsson’s arguments repeat an industry claim that it takes at least 12 months for a new capability to come to market. The February date represented nine months, a time frame Ericsson said “is not supported by credible facts regarding the manufacturing process.”
