California PUC Has Lifeline FNPRM Concerns
Filing nearly a month late, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) submitted a motion for acceptance of late-filed comments as well as comments on the FCC second Further NPRM regarding the federal Lifeline program, posted Friday in docket No. 11-42.…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
Among its main concerns, the CPUC believes the FCC should address the role of states' authority to administer broadband Internet access service as a component of universal service in their own Lifeline programs. States should also be allowed to regulate consumer protection for all Lifeline services, the CPUC said. The state commission opposes reducing the number of qualifying public assistance programs for Lifeline as well as eliminating the income-based eligibility method, and standardizing Lifeline eligibility forms, it said. The FCC shouldn't reduce federal eligible telecom carrier obligations, the CPUC said. States should also be allowed to develop their own enrollment forms and processes so they can incorporate the unique characteristics of their states, CPUC said.