Telcos Ask FCC to Reconsider USF Reform Proposal

On January 12, the Federal Communications Commission released a list of parties that had petitioned the FCC for reconsideration of its Universal Service Fund reform order.

Verizon, Sprint and USTelecom are among them. The USF reform order already faces court challenges from AT&T (a USTelecom member) and the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association. AT&T was particularly unhappy with the VoIP true-up, suggesting that terminating circuit-switched traffic was a lot more involved than interconnecting VoIP. Those opposed to the petitions have 15 days from publication of the notice in the Federal Register -- that usually takes a week or so -- to respond, with replies to those oppositions due 10 days after that 15-day window has closed. Among those also petitioning the FCC for reconsideration were MetroPCS, OPASTCO (Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies) and the Western Telecom Alliance.