Commissioner Copps on USF/ICC Reform – Lawsuits, Waiver Requests “Frivolous”

In remarks to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Annual Meeting, Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps noted the controversial role of states under the new Universal Service Fund and Intercarrier Compensation regulations. He also expressed mild contempt for parties who may be tempted to file lawsuits and waivers.

Here are some notable quotes from Commissioner Copps’ speech:

• “The old saying is, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Well, you can’t make that argument here. The system was broken—and we were left with no real option short of a major overhaul.”
• “Now I know that not everyone here is satisfied with everything the Commission did three weeks ago. Neither am I. But I think we both made a difference. Your input did greatly inform the Commission’s deliberations and its ultimate decisions—even though we had to make difficult choices that will change some legacy state responsibilities.”
• “We incorporated numerous ideas from the state Joint Board members’ comments, such as imposing significant reporting requirements on USF recipients and requiring all reporting data to be jointly provided to the FCC and state Commissions.”
• “States can perform many functions better than the federal government—and by ‘many functions’ I mean a whole lot of them. And I am looking for ways to expand the state role under the reformed system.”