The Regulatory Mix

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.

 

The Regulatory Mix will be on hiatus July 2, 2015 – July 5, 2015 in observance of the public holiday for Independence Day.

 

TELECOM

      

US Congress

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), has scheduled a hearing for July 8, at 10:00 a.m. entitled, “Internet Governance Progress After ICANN 53.” Continuing their oversight of the administration’s work to transition key Internet functions from the United States to the multistakeholder community, members will hear from NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers CEO Fadi Chehade and discuss the status of transition efforts following the recently concluded ICANN meeting. The meeting – which included representatives from the international Internet community – continued efforts to reach agreement on the terms of the transition plan proposal and changes to ICANN’s bylaws that would be necessary to ensure ICANN is accountable to the Internet community at-large. ICANN is a non-profit corporation based in the United States.  The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

 

US Court of Appeals

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has established a briefing schedule for appeals of the FCC’s Open Internet/Net Neutrality Order. The joint opening briefs of the various petitioners are due July 30, 2015; the joint opening brief of the intervenors in support of the petitioners is due August 6, 2015. The opening brief of the FCC is due September 14, 2015; the joint briefs of the intervenors in support of the FCC are due September 21, 2015. The joint reply briefs of the various petitioners, as well as the joint reply brief of the intervenors in support of the petitioners, are due October 5, 2015. Final briefs are due October 13, 2015. The Clerk of the Court was directed to schedule oral argument on the first appropriate date following the completion of briefing.

 

Michigan

The PSC directed CMC Telecom, Inc. (CMC) to show cause why it should not be found in violation of Section 315 of the Michigan Telecommunications Act (MTA). Section 315 of the MTA addresses telecommunications services for the hearing impaired. The statute directs the PSC to “require each provider of basic local exchange service to provide a text telephone-telecommunications device for the deaf at cost” to eligible individuals and to public safety answering points; and to “require each provider of basic local exchange service to provide a telecommunications relay service whereby persons using a text telephone-telecommunications device for the deaf can communicate with persons using a voice telephone.” It further authorizes each provider to determine whether it prefers to offer telecommunications relay service (TRS) “on its own, jointly with other basic local exchange service providers, or by contract with other telecommunications providers.”

 

In September 2014, the PSC issued an order that, among other things, required local exchange providers to file customer outreach plans no less than 30 days prior to the transition of its relay customers and to notify the MPSC within 10 days of making a change to a new relay service provider by filing a letter in that docket. In January 2015, the Staff contacted facilities-based providers of basic local exchange service that had not submitted a TRS customer outreach plan or a transition letter in the docket. In an email, the Staff advised providers to contact the Staff immediately regarding their TRS status. Although the Staff and CMC communicated multiple times, Staff concluded that CMC has not complied with the MTA and the 2014 order.

 

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