FCC Extends ICC/USF Reply Comments to Dec. 22 December 3rd, 2008
Late Tuesday, the FCC extended the deadline for Reply Comments in the Intercarrier Compensation/USF proceeding by three weeks to December 22. As a result, the Commission will not be able to take up this issue at its December 18 Open Meeting.
USTelecom filed comments in the proceeding last Wednesday, November 26. The comments supported a reasonable glide path to a unified rate structure, sufficient restructure mechanism funds to assure companies the ability to continue investing in broadband, movement to a numbers oriented universal service fund contribution methodology, better targeting of universal service distributions, addressing of the twin arbitrages of “phantom traffic” and “traffic pumping”, and determining the proper compensation to be paid by VoIP providers when they terminate calls on the public switched network. USTelecom believes that companies and consumers will be best served if the FCC addresses these issues soon and will continue its advocacy before the FCC.