WTA Meets With FCC to Discuss USF Budget Proceeding
On July 10, representatives from WTA and several of its member companies met with staff Commissioner O’Reilly, staff from Chairman Pai’s office and Commissioners Rosenworcel’s and Carr’s office and the Wireline Competition Bureau to discuss the open proceeding evaluating the USF High Cost Fund budget.
WTA and its members emphasized the critical need for a substantial increase in the outdated 2011 budget for high-cost support for RoR carriers. WTA reiterated its support for “full funding” of both the ACAM mechanism (up to a $200 per location funding cap) and the cost-based RoR mechanisms (including elimination of the continuing impact of the Rural Growth Factor). WTA noted that its estimated “fully funded” RoR budget – which begins at $2.426 billion in 2018 and gradually increases to $2.975 billion in 2026 – is not an unduly large or unreasonable increase over the current $2.0 billion budget and additional CAF Reserve infusion for ACAM.
WTA also discussed several other issues related to the proceeding. A representative Notice of Ex Parte can be found here.
