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.
The Regulatory Mix will not be published on Friday, May 27th or Monday, May 30th in observance of Memorial Day 2016
TELECOM
FCC
ECFS Posting Delays
The FCC has issued a Public Notice addressing the delay in posting some comments to its Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) in April and early May. The FCC said that the issue does not affect any interested party’s ability to file comments, and it appears that the vast majority of comments have been, and will continue to be, entered into ECFS promptly enough to enable the preparation of complete reply comments by the scheduled due dates. Thus, it will not grant a broad extension of comment deadlines in pending rulemaking proceedings. However, it did say that the records remain open in the affected rulemaking proceedings, and to the extent that interested parties wish to inform the FCC of their view of any comments that were subject to delays in posting, they may supplement their reply comments to address late-posted pleadings.
2016 Access Filings
The FCC issued a Public Notice describing the process necessary for carriers to obtain access to confidential information provided with the 2016 annual access charge tariff filing in support of a carrier’s tariff review plan (TRP). Parties seeking access to confidential information filed in this year’s annual access charge tariff should use the standard protective order adopted by the FCC in 2007, and which is attached to the Public Notice. Since there will be limited time for review, the FCC suggests that carriers complete the necessary declaration ahead of time to expedite obtaining and reviewing confidential information.
CVAA Biennial Report
The FCC is seeking comment in preparation for the filing of the 2016 biennial report required by the Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). Comments are due June 13, 2016. Areas for comment include: (1) the level of industry compliance with the CVAA and the FCC’s implementing rules, including whether manufacturers and service providers are including people with disabilities in their market research, product design, testing, pilot demonstrations, and product trials and are working cooperatively with disability-related organizations; (2) the extent to which mobile devices, as well as smartphones and devices that are used with non-mobile (landline and interconnected VoIP) services, are accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired; (3) the extent to which providers of telecommunications and advanced communications services are ensuring access to information and documentation – including user guides, bills, installation guides, and product support communications – for people with disabilities; (4) the accessibility barriers to new communications technology; (5) the effect of the CVAA’s accessibility recordkeeping and enforcement requirements on the development and deployment of new communications technologies that fall within and outside the scope of the Communications Act.
