Articles Posted in Telecommunications

4/16/2009
Upcoming Deadlines
FCC Form 499-Q is Due by May 1, 2009
All providers of interstate telecommunications within the United States, with limited exceptions, must file a FCC Form 499-Q Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet by May 1, 2009 containing revenue information for January 1 through March 31 and projections for July 1 through September 30. The completed FCC Form 499-Q should be mailed to:

Form 499 Data Collection Agent
Attn: USAC Customer Service
2000 L St NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
Providers who have obtained a USAC Filer ID number may file the form electronically at: https://forms.universalservice.org/usaclogin/login.asp. A late fee may be imposed for failing to file or filing the worksheet after the due date.

The 499-Q form and instructions can be found on USAC’s website at: http://www.universalservice.org/fund-administration/forms/. The Universal Service Fund (“USF”) contribution factor for the second quarter 2009 is 11.3%.

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January 2009:

Upcoming Deadlines

• FCC Form 499-Q is Due by February 1, 2009
• Customer Proprietary Network Information Certification is Due by March 1, 2009

Enforcement Matters:

• Telecommunications Carrier Enters Into $10,080,600 Consent Decree for CPNI and Universal Service Fund Violations
• Telecommunications Carrier Found Apparently Liable for More than $650,000 for Failure to Register and Obtain 214 Approval and Failure to Comply with USF Requirements

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December 2008
On December 2, 2008, the FCC extended the reply comment date in its sweeping Universal Service Fund (“USF”) Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “FNPRM”) until December 22, 2008. USF is an almost $7 billion program overseen by the FCC that promotes the availability of affordable telecommunications services throughout the United States. Funds are made available to schools and libraries, low-income residential consumers and telephone companies operating in high cost areas.

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July 2006
The FCC’s new “junk fax” rules, which were adopted on April 6, 2006 pursuant to the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 (“Fax Act”), will take effect on August 1, 2006.

The Commission’s junk fax rules generally prohibit for-profit, as well as non-profit, entities from sending facsimile “advertisements” — broadly construed — to recipients that have not given their “prior express invitation or permission.” Notwithstanding this general prohibition, the new rules provide that where the sender of a facsimile advertisement maintains an “established business relationship” (“EBR”) with the intended recipient, the advertisement will not be deemed “unsolicited.” The new rules also confirm that other forms of “prior express invitation or permission” will render the general prohibition inapplicable. To the extent that a sender transmits facsimile advertisements on a regular or even occasional basis, it should be aware of the requirements of the new rules.

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April 2006
On June 29, the FCC will begin one of its biggest spectrum auctions ever. The FCC will auction a total of 1,122 licenses in 90 MHz of spectrum at 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz, known as Advanced Wireless Services (“AWS”) or Third Generation (“3G”) spectrum. This is the largest auction of spectrum for wireless services since the auction of Personal Communications Services (“PCS”) licenses in the mid-1990s.

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