The FCC will tackle the next stage of making high-band spectrum available for 5G, at its June 7 meeting, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday on the next commissioners’ "summer blockbuster" meeting. Pai also plans to look to undo leased access rules adopted in 2008 but never implemented, ease legacy telecom service discontinuances, give rural telcos broadband USF contribution relief and OK Audacy and O3b satellite plans, two intercarrier compensation items, a toll-free texting item, an IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) order, proposals targeting telephone slamming and cramming practices and an enforcement action he couldn't discuss.

The FCC will tackle the next stage of making high-band spectrum available for 5G, at its June 7 meeting, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday on the next commissioners’ "summer blockbuster" meeting. Pai also plans to look to undo leased access rules adopted in 2008 but never implemented, ease legacy telecom service discontinuances, give rural telcos broadband USF contribution relief and OK Audacy and O3b satellite plans, two intercarrier compensation items, a toll-free texting item, an IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) order, proposals targeting telephone slamming and cramming practices and an enforcement action he couldn't discuss.

The FCC plans to place a confidential version of a report by RolkaLoube Associates on the telecom relay service in the record, available subject to protective order provisions, said a public notice in docket 03-123 in Tuesday's Daily Digest. RolkaLoube earlier found the fund needs $1.62 billion in net cash for FY 2019, which starts July 1 (see 1805080021). The report provides recommendations for TRS provider compensation rates, the funding requirement and the carrier contribution factor from this July 1 through June 30, 2019, the FCC said. “The Commission intends on examining the confidential portions of the 2018 TRS Rate Report to assist it in its open rulemaking to address the appropriate compensation methodology for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service,” the PN said: The confidential part “includes Fund Year 2018-19 estimates for minutes, revenue, revenue requirements, profit, expenses, and the operating margin for each IP CTS provider. The Commission has recognized that such detailed data generally should be treated as confidential and exempt from public disclosure.”

The FCC plans to place a confidential version of a report by RolkaLoube Associates on the telecom relay service in the record, available subject to protective order provisions, said a public notice in docket 03-123 in Tuesday's Daily Digest. RolkaLoube earlier found the fund needs $1.62 billion in net cash for FY 2019, which starts July 1 (see 1805080021). The report provides recommendations for TRS provider compensation rates, the funding requirement and the carrier contribution factor from this July 1 through June 30, 2019, the FCC said. “The Commission intends on examining the confidential portions of the 2018 TRS Rate Report to assist it in its open rulemaking to address the appropriate compensation methodology for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service,” the PN said: The confidential part “includes Fund Year 2018-19 estimates for minutes, revenue, revenue requirements, profit, expenses, and the operating margin for each IP CTS provider. The Commission has recognized that such detailed data generally should be treated as confidential and exempt from public disclosure.”

ITTA asked the FCC to clarify that carrier telecom relay service fund contribution costs can be passed on to consumers in express line-item fees on phone bills. The mid-size telco group said carriers that include TRS fees in their line-item descriptions are fulfilling the goal of truth-in billing rules aimed at helping consumers. "Purported confusion has arisen amongst some customers about the propriety of carriers listing TRS fees among other components in the description," said an ITTA petition for declaratory ruling posted Wednesday in docket 03-123. "Including TRS among other references in a line item description is and always has been permissible under the Commission’s precedents and guidance. The Commission, or the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau under delegated authority, should issue a declaratory ruling stating so. Doing so will eliminate purported uncertainty relating to this fully lawful, acceptable, and widespread industry billing practice."

Rolka Loube Associates projected the FCC telecom relay service fund needs $1.62 billion in net cash for FY 2019 starting July 1 (up 23 percent from $1.32 billion in FY 2018), and an industry contribution factor of 3 percent (up from 2.3 percent), said filings by the TRS fund administrator posted Monday in docket 10-51. It projected total demand of almost $1.8 billion from the six relay services and additional requirements: $5.4 million for interstate traditional TRS, $7.8 million for interstate captioned telephone service, $713,429 for interstate speech-to-speech (including outreach), $495 million for video relay service, $7.9 million for IP relay service, $998.7 million for IP captioned telephone service and $279.9 million in "non-provider" requirements. The latter include an FCC-mandated two-month budgetary reserve of $252.6 million for FY 2019, $10 million for a deaf-blind equipment distribution program, $8.65 million for TRS research, and smaller administrative and other expenses. The projected net cash need was lowered by offsets from the projected $172.2 million surplus as of June 30 (from a current reserve) and $1.2 million in estimated interest on invested funds. Rolka Loube said the best available estimate is that the relevant annual interstate and international telecom end user (minus reseller) revenue base will be $53.5 billion (down from $58 billion); that, combined with the $1.62 billion cash need, produces the 3 percent projected contribution factor, which most providers pass on to consumers on phone bills.

Rolka Loube Associates projected the FCC telecom relay service fund needs $1.62 billion in net cash for FY 2019 starting July 1 (up 23 percent from $1.32 billion in FY 2018), and an industry contribution factor of 3 percent (up from 2.3 percent), said filings by the TRS fund administrator posted Monday in docket 10-51. It projected total demand of almost $1.8 billion from the six relay services and additional requirements: $5.4 million for interstate traditional TRS, $7.8 million for interstate captioned telephone service, $713,429 for interstate speech-to-speech (including outreach), $495 million for video relay service, $7.9 million for IP relay service, $998.7 million for IP captioned telephone service and $279.9 million in "non-provider" requirements. The latter include an FCC-mandated two-month budgetary reserve of $252.6 million for FY 2019, $10 million for a deaf-blind equipment distribution program, $8.65 million for TRS research, and smaller administrative and other expenses. The projected net cash need was lowered by offsets from the projected $172.2 million surplus as of June 30 (from a current reserve) and $1.2 million in estimated interest on invested funds. Rolka Loube said the best available estimate is that the relevant annual interstate and international telecom end user (minus reseller) revenue base will be $53.5 billion (down from $58 billion); that, combined with the $1.62 billion cash need, produces the 3 percent projected contribution factor, which most providers pass on to consumers on phone bills.

The FCC set a pleading cycle on certain state applications for renewing certification of their state telecom relay service programs, said a Federal Register Friday notice. Comments are due May 29, replies June 11 in docket 03-123 on the five-year certification renewal applications for Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Commission amendments in the FR took effect Friday, correcting technical errors in 2016 competitive bidding rules in docket 10-90 for the Connect America Fund Phase II subsidy auction.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants to open a rulemaking on the contribution methodology for telecom relay services (TRS). At a House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing (at about 56:00) Thursday (see 1804260068), Pai said he hopes to circulate a draft NPRM on the matter in the next couple of weeks. He was responding to Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., who asked for an update on a letter exchange he and Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., co-chairs of the Congressional Deaf Caucus, had with Pai last year. They had asked Pai to act on a petition for rulemaking to revise the TRS contribution methodology, which was supported by deaf and hard-of-hearing advocates; and Pai answered that the commission "was making every effort to conclude its review of this matter as quickly and equitably as possible" (see 1711220017). IDT petitioned in 2015 to include intrastate telecom revenue in the TRS contribution base, which currently assesses a percentage of interstate and international telecom revenue. Deaf groups and others backed the petition, the VON Coalition opposed it and USTelecom was wary (see 1602050058). Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inc. (TDI), one of the supportive groups, "will be thrilled to see" an NPRM, emailed Executive Director Claude Stout Friday. "It is very important that we keep the Fund sufficient to meet the annual costs of the relay services for calls we make to our hearing contacts or vice versa. Relay services have been 'an equalizer' for us to function in a more level playing field." The FCC, IDT Telecom, USTelecom and VON didn't comment Friday.

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