Today’s Regulatory Mix: Colorado Issues 2021 CHCSM Customer Education Notice, FCC Seeks Comment on FY 2021 Regulatory Fees, Idaho Enacts Broadband Law
Colorado Issues 2021 CHCSM Customer Education Notice
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has issued an order directing each telecommunications service provider (provider) that collects the Colorado High-Cost Support Mechanism (CHCSM) from its end users to provide an annual customer education notice describing the “Colorado Universal Service Charge” rate element. Providers must complete the required customer education notice in the first billing cycle of the third quarter of 2021. Each provider must make the notice available to each of its customers by: message directly printed on the bill, bill insert, separate first-class mail, text message (free of charge), or any combination of these alternatives.
Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 4/26/21
FCC Seeks Comment on FY 2021 Regulatory Fees
The FCC released its Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on the agency’s proposed regulatory fees for fiscal year (FY) 2021: (i) including non-geographic numbers in the calculation of the number of subscribers for each commercial mobile radio service provider; (ii) ending the phase in of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) regulatory fees, and instead including the Media Bureau-based DBS regulatory fee in the same fee category as cable television and Internet Protocol Television; (iii) assessing regulatory fees for full service broadcast television using the same population-based methodology used for FY 2020 and continuing the changes adopted previously for stations in Puerto Rico; (iv) adopting new regulatory fees for the new NGSO fee subcategories for “less complex” NGSO systems and “other” NGSO systems; and (v) extending streamlined waiver provisions adopted last year for FY 2021.
Idaho Enacts Broadband Law
Governor Brad Little signed SB 1199 into law. The new law directs $45 million to broadband infrastructure in the state, supporting more remote healthcare access and improved educational and economic opportunities in rural Idaho. “Added investments in broadband connectivity will assist with our ongoing COVID-19 response and present better opportunities for economic development in underserved parts of Idaho,” Governor Little explained.
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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related 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 an Inteserra Briefing.
