A Full Deck ·
The FCC is up and running with all five commissioners now sworn in and serving. Five commissioners instead of just three will be very helpful to creating good public policy–as five voices will lead to vigorous debate and the best discussion (and hopefully best decisions as well) possible. The strong communications backgrounds of both Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai will serve them well as there won’t be much time before the high cost recovery caps start to phase in on July 1st. I attended a luncheon last week with Senator Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee–and up until last week, Jessica’s boss–and he could not have been more pleased to see these FCC appointments through to completion. Both of the new commissioners have FCC and Hill experience, and will be able to quickly set up shop and then move on to dealing with ongoing USF and ICC reform.
Favorite Role….. ·
We all play many roles in life – parent, child, boss, employee, friend, work associate–and the list goes on. This weekend allowed me to self-indulge in my favorite role as mom. It was a treat for me to have Kelsey home from finals at the University of Virginia, with a week to spare before she heads to her research work in Africa, and begin the countdown for Leah’s graduation from Northwestern University in mid-June. There is no role that I have had in life that has made me second guess myself as much, lost as much sleep, found as frustrating and gratifying (sometimes within the same five minute span) as being a mom. So I salute my two daughters for giving me my favorite “job!”
Every Member, Every Time! ·
In today’s meeting, we shared our perspectives on the companies or organizations we like to work with, and why and then applied those values and perspectives to how we can better serve our own members. You can see that everyone was engaged in the discussion!
Financial Expert Speaks Out on USF Reform ·
Telecompetitor had a really interesting interview today with respected telecommunications financial guru, Mike Balhoff of Balhoff and Williams. Mike has a very rich background in telecommunications from his days at the FCC and has facilitate numerous carrier mergers and acquisitions in his financial career. I’ve worked with Mike for many years and have always found him to be very thoughtful and analytical in his approach. I agree with his comment in the Telecompetitor that while the FCC has touted the idea that the reforms will spur broadband deployment, network operators may not step up to deploy broadband to some unserved areas because target support levels may be too low. This interview was a worthwhile read…
Senate Appropriations Tees Up On USF And ICC ·
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee held a hearing reviewing the FCC’s proposed 2013 budget. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), whose rural constituents will be significantly impacted by the FCC’s action on USF and ICC, had numerous questions for the chairman of the FCC. He focused on the need for small broadband carriers to have additional assurances that the investments they have made in their plant and network using RUS loans will be able to be paid back as part of the USF-ICC reform process. Senator Moran noted, “In my view, the Order now handicaps the revenue necessary to recover those loans and grants.” He also focused on the importance of a real and workable waiver process for carriers. He actually took the time to read the waiver provision from the actual Order and commented that the threshold for the waiver was very high–especially given that only a carrier unable to provide voice service any longer would qualify– making it unlikely that many telcos would be able to actually qualify for the waiver process.
It was interesting to hear many of the issues noted and the concerns about fiscal constraint raised before the same congressional committee that received the two percent budget increase request from the FCC.
