Pai Proposal Resolves USTelecom Forbearance Petition

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a proposal to grant USTelecom what is described as two narrow portions of its request for forbearance from applying some copper-era Telecommunications Act voice service support regulations to an increasingly fiber world. But it does not retire broadband-related obligations after USTelecom withdrew that ask July 1. Specifically, the draft order would eliminate the requirement that incumbent local exchange carriers (the big telecommunication companies) provide voice-grade copper loops on an unbundled and regulated basis to competitors and that they offer for resale at regulated rates services that the incumbents provide at retail rates. "“Chairman Pai has circulated a draft order that would end two narrow regulatory obligations imposed on phone companies that no longer stand the test of time," said an FCC spokesperson. "Given robust competition in the voice market, these two mandates from the 1990s, which were intended to open monopoly local phone companies to competition in voice services, are no longer necessary. Moreover, these regulations are now harmful because they perpetuate reliance on legacy technologies and services and hinder the transition to next-generation networks.” The item would provide a three-year off ramp for the competitive LEC's --and their customers--to make alternative arrangements.