FCC Grants Request for Extension on Study Area Boundaries Filing

Yesterday, the FCC issued an Order giving ILECs an additional 60 days in which to revise their study area data. Filers now have until March 17 to get their revised data to the Commission instead of having to complete it by January 13.

WTA and its allies had requested a stay of the data revision request, or, in the alternative, a six-month extension. The Wireline Competition Bureau rejected the Petition for Stay saying the despite Chairman Wheeler’s desire to eliminate the QRA, the study area boundary information is still necessary for other USF reforms. In addition, the Bureau stated that a six-month extension was not necessary as “the Bureau allowed ILECs just over six months to prepare their initial study area boundary data, so an additional six months to revise such data seems unnecessary.”