The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court, issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.
TELECOM
Alaska
A new law in Alaska will remove the Regulatory Commission of Alaska’s authority to regulate the production and distribution of telephone directories effective October 6, 2014. The Commission’s rules currently require that directories be published at approximately yearly intervals and contain certain specific information. In addition, each subscriber must be provided with one free copy of the directory for each main station.
COMPTEL
COMPTEL filed comments July 15, 2014, in the FCC’s Open Internet Proceeding. COMPTEL recommends that the FCC use Title II of the Communications Act to regulate the transmission component of broadband Internet access service and protect against discrimination and blocking while simultaneously making clear that it will not tolerate anticompetitive practices in the exchange of Internet traffic.
FCC
Due to an “overwhelming surge in traffic” on its website, the FCC extended the deadline for filing initial comments on its proposed Net Neutrality/Open Internet rules until midnight on Friday, July 18, 2014. As such, it will treat as timely filed any comments that are filed via OpenInternet@fcc.gov or in ECFS by midnight Friday, July 18. The FCC reminded commenters that, as an alternative to filing through its Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), they can email comments to openinternet@fcc.gov and their views would be placed in the public record. The FCC had previously denied a request for an extension of time. See the Regulatory Mix dated 7/11/14.
