ILECs Cite CAF Broadband Testing Concerns; Mescalero, Adak Eagle Push USF Recon Actions
Incumbent telcos voiced concerns with FCC broadband performance testing rules for Connect America Fund recipients (see 1807060031). The creation of separate frameworks for testing speed and latency "is inefficient, burdensome, and unnecessary to ensure compliance with CAF obligations," said a…
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USTelecom filing on a meeting of representatives of the group and members Verizon, Frontier Communications, CenturyLink, AT&T and Windstream with Wireline Bureau staffers, posted Wednesday in docket 10-90. They recommended the bureau combine the two testing approaches, noting the agency's Measuring Broadband America program does that. They also said the order is unclear on "whether 'on-net' testing" by carriers is permitted, the "compliance framework should be more incremental" and "overprovisioning should not justify negating the test results." In a discussion with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, NTCA said Monday it "raised questions about the number of test locations and the required extent of network testing," and also urged "rate floor" and other USF actions. Mescalero Apache Telecom urged regulatory approval of the recon petitions it and Sacred Wind Communications filed (see 1805310032) to "submit alternative sources of information -- including actual deployment data -- in order to avail themselves of the relief" provided in an order relaxing tribal USF operations expense restrictions for carriers with 10/1 Mbps broadband deployment levels below 90 percent (see 1804050028). Mescalero noted petitioners drew some support and no opposition. Also citing no opposition, Adak Eagle Enterprises asked for resolution of its petition seeking reconsideration of a decision to deny AEE a second offer of model-based support.