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 Briefing.
TELECOM
FCC
Digital Divide
On Thursday, October 8, 2015, The Washington Post hosted a forum: Bridging the Digital Divide. Among the speakers were HUD Secretary Julian Castro; FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai; and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Click here to watch highlights of Commissioner Pai’s discussion about the challenges of expanding broadband Internet across the country.
A-CAM
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced the release of the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) v2.0 for potential use in rate-of-return carrier service areas. The new model incorporates the results of the Bureau’s study area boundary data collection and further updates the model in several respects. This includes changes to data concerning loop and middle miles, small service areas, plan mix, and support module reports. The Bureau also released results that illustrate how different per-location funding caps used in calculating support impact the potential support calculated for a particular study area. These illustrative results are produced using solution set SSACAM20151006ver2 and are available at
https://transition.fcc.gov/wcb/ACAM_20_ILL_Rpt_Version3_0_FINAL_100615_Public.xlsx.
NANC
The FCC announced the membership of the North American Numbering Council (NANC) whose charter recently was renewed through September 18, 2017. The FCC said that the membership is well balanced, with a diverse and balanced mix of viewpoints from organizations representing carriers, cable providers, Internet telephony (VoIP) providers, industry associations, consumer advocates, state regulators, and other stakeholders. The Honorable Betty Ann Kane, Chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, will serve the NANC Chairman. The NANC will provide advice and recommendations to the FCC to foster efficient and impartial North American Numbering Plan (NANP) administration; will advise the FCC on numbering policy and technical issues; and will help to ensure that numbering resources are available to all telecommunications service providers consistent with the requirements of the Communications Act.
ENERGY
Washington DC
A motion has been filed to reopen the record in the proposed acquisition of Pepco Holdings, Inc. by Exelon Corporation to allow for consideration of a settlement agreement and stipulation. In August 2015, the PSC rejected the proposed merger as filed and noted that “there was no settlement brought to the Commission that would have evidenced general agreement” satisfying concerns raised by the parties in this proceeding. See the Regulatory Mix dated 8/26/15. The merger has already been approved by the FERC and commissions in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware.
On October 6, 2015, Nonunanimous Full Settlement Agreement and Stipulation (Agreement) was filed by the Joint Applicants (Office of People’s Counsel, the DC Government, the DC Water and Sewer Authority, the National Consumer Law Center, National Housing Trust, the National Housing Trust Enterprise Preservation Corporation, and the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington). Click here for full details of the Agreement. Under the terms of the Agreement Exelon will provide a Customer Investment Fund (CIF) to the District of Columbia with a value totaling $72.8 million and will contribute $5.2 million to District workforce development programs. Pepco will not seek recovery of the CIF in utility rates. Within six months after consummation of the Merger, Exelon will collocate Exelon corporate headquarters in the District of Columbia for Exelon Corporate Strategy and Exelon Utilities. In addition, Pepco Energy Services’ operations and associated employees will also be relocated into the District.
