FCC Extends Deadline in Special Access Proceeding

On December 11, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking requiring providers and purchasers of special access and certain entities providing “best efforts” service to submit data and information for a comprehensive evaluation of the special access market. In the Special Access FNPRM, the FCC sought comment on possible changes to its rules for granting pricing flexibility for the special access services provided by incumbent local exchange carriers in price cap areas. The FCC invited interested parties to provide such comments after the FCC collected data for the market analysis to enable commenters to include analysis of such data in their comments.

On August 15, 2014, the FCC obtained Office of Management and Budget’s approval for the collection subject to changes. On September 15, 2014, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau released an order amending the collection to reflect OMB’s approval and announced a December 15, 2014 deadline by which parties are required to submit data and information. Because collection of the data must be completed and made available for review before parties can comment on the remaining questions posed in the Special Access FNPRM, the Bureau extends the deadline for filing comments and reply comments. The new comment date is April 6, 2015, and the new reply comment date is May 18, 2015.