Chairman Pai Blog: Setting the Standard for Rural Connectivity

  • Over the past several months, the Federal Communications Commission has been reviewing our testing procedures for measuring whether carriers receiving support from our Connect America Fund high cost program are building networks that meet the performance standards we have set. On one hand, we want to make sure that subscribers are getting the quality of service that they have been promised and our rules require. On the other, we also want to make sure that our testing procedures don’t impose unnecessary burdens on small carriers located in hard-to-serve areas that often face unique challenges. I’m circulating an order addressing testing procedures and performance measures that strikes the right balance. 
  • At our Oct meeting, the FCC will vote on a Declaratory Ruling clarifying that placing discriminatory fees on VoIP subscribers is prohibited and providing examples of fees that would be discriminatory and thus legally prohibited. This ruling would not only assure regulatory parity between VoIP and traditional telecommunications services, it would also encourage consumers and businesses to migrate to more advanced, IP-based services.
  • Just as the FCC’s rules should reflect how IP-based services have changed the marketplace for voice services, they should also acknowledge the ways they are revolutionizing the video marketplace. The FCC will vote on an order that would agree Charter is now subject to effective competition from AT&T’s streaming service.
  • Turning from outdated cable regulations to outdated broadcast regulations, there is now a serious question as to whether the FCC’s common antenna site regulations remain necessary. The FCC will be voting on a proposal to seek comment on whether we should revise these rules or eliminate them altogether.
  • We will consider an order addressing two regulations that don’t make sense in an era when tariffs are filed and can be accessed electronically and lengthy review periods are no longer necessary.  First, we would allow carriers to cross-reference their tariffs as well as those of their affiliates, ending a long-standing prohibition on this practice. Second, we would eliminate the requirement that price cap carriers file certain supporting information—known as “short-form tariff review plans”—90 days before their annual interstate access charge filings are effective.
  • Rounding out our Oct agenda is an item to accelerate the conclusion of the FCC’s 800 MHz band reconfiguration program. 

Setting the Standard for Rural Connectivity