Telecom Alert – Robocalling Rules; Pole Attachments; Ligado; Annual Regulatory Fees Due, Vol XIII, Issue 37
Robocalling Rules
Keller and Heckman Partner Tracy Marshall authored an article featured in Law360 earlier this month discussing the implications of the FCC’s recent declaratory ruling on the treatment of “robocalls” by energy utilities (Vol. XIII, Issue 32). The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) generally prohibits calls and texts placed using an automatic telephone dialing system or a prerecorded or artificial voice absent consent or an “emergency purpose.” The FCC’s recent ruling confirms that utility companies are deemed to have consent to place robocalls to numbers provided by their customers on matters closely related to the utility services, but utilities must still comply with other TCPA requirements. For more information, please contact Tracy Marshall (marshall@khlaw.com; 202.434.4234).
Connecticut Pole Attachment Dispute
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) will hold a technical hearing on Oct. 27 to resolve a pole attachment dispute. PURA held a meeting earlier this year to attempt to resolve pole attachment concerns related to the United Illuminating Company (UI) (Vol XIII, Issue 21). To this point, mediation has not been successful, as UI and third-party attachers have been unable to resolve issues related to over-lashing. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128).
Lower Pole Attachment Rates?
TRDaily reported that the wireless legal adviser to FCC Commissioner Pai informed the CTIA wireless association conference in Las Vegas last week that the Commissioner believes the FCC should focus on things “that will make a difference” to wireless deployment, such as lower pole attachment rates. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128).
Ligado Business Plan
Ligado Network LLC’s (formerly LightSquared) has updated its business plan for its proposed advanced satellite-terrestrial network to serve the Internet of Things (IoT) in the rail, trucking, aviation, public safety, and oil and gas sectors. Ligado expects to deploy 10,000 to 20,000 base stations to support its proposed network. The public comment period recently closed for Ligado’s proposal, which among other things requests the FCC allocate the 1675-1680 MHz band for terrestrial mobile use shared with the federal government (Vol. XIII, Issue 30).
Annual FCC Regulatory Fees
The FCC announced that regulatory fees for the fiscal year 2016 will be due by September 27, 2016. Licensees of certain facilities, such as Satellite Earth Stations, are required to make annual regulatory fee payments. For many licensed facilities, such as microwave and land mobile systems, the regulatory fees are paid when the application is filed with the FCC. For additional information, please contact Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202.434.4271).
Western Energy Institute Joint Use Meeting
Keller and Heckman Partner Tom Magee will participate in roundtable discussions and a Legal Panel at the Western Energy Institute Joint Use Meeting in Bellevue, Washington on September 15. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128).
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Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert is a complimentary weekly electronic update created by the Telecommunications and the Business Counseling and Transactional practice groups of Keller and Heckman LLP. All articles, videos, and quotations are on topics of general interest and do not constitute legal advice for particularized facts. Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert © 2015. All rights reserved. Articles may be copied with attribution. To sign up for our weekly alert, please send us an email at telecomalert@khlaw.com and provide us with your name and email. Please follow us on twitter at @KHtelecom.