Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90; High-Cost Universal Service Support, WC Docket No. 05-337
On Friday, March 7, 2014, Michael Romano, Senior Vice President-Policy, on behalf of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association (“NTCA”), spoke via telephone with Rodger Woock, Suzanne Yelen, Alexander Minard, and Jay Schwartz of the Wireline Competition Bureau. During that conversation, NTCA raised the functional inability of carriers in some jurisdictions to increase local voice telephone rates to certain levels within the next several months due to state laws, process requirements, and/or consumer notification obligations. NTCA also urged the Federal Communications Commission (the “Commission”) to take better stock of the impact on rural consumers as rates increase by several dollars per year for several years in a row, particularly when consumers in rural areas have thousands – if not hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions – fewer consumers to call within the scope of their local calling areas as compared to the urban areas upon which local rate floors are based.
03.11.14 FCC Ex Parte - NTCA telephone conversation with WCB re rate floor, WC 10-90 and 05-337