Telecom Business Alert – NG-911 Funding, FCC IT Transition, Dark Fiber Expansions, and KH Attorney Presentations, Vol XII, Issue 37
NG-911 Funding
The National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) published a white paper last week, discussing various funding models states can implement to support the deployment of Next Generation 911 (NG-911) networks and services NASNA reviewed 19 different funding models and determined that four could meet future NG-911funding needs in different states, including: (1) keeping the current funding model (assessing fixed monthly fees on voice services) but expanding the funding base to include prepaid wireless and other services; (2) creating a general sales tax; (3) attaching a fee to health insurance plans; and (4) funding 911 services through a state Universal Service Fund. For additional information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
FCC IT Transition
Last week, the Commission transitioned to a new IT system. The Commission’s online databases, such as the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), were down from September 3 through September 8, although some databases, such as the Universal Licensing System (ULS), were down until September 10. The Commission extended non-ECFS filing deadlines to September 11, 2015. Additionally, the Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS) did not issue notices from September 2 through September 11; those notices will be issued this week, September 16 through September 18.
Dark Fiber Expansions
At the Tower and Small Cell Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, Tower Cloud, Inc. announced that it signed an agreement to acquire more than 1,300 miles of dark fiber, to serve various cell towers. The acquisition will make Tower Cloud one of the largest high-speed providers in the southeastern region of the United States. Tower Cloud plans to expand its dark fiber network throughout Florida, including two military bases.
KH Attorney Presentations
Tomorrow, Keller and Heckman partner, Doug Jarrett, will be a panelist at the UTC Rural Broadband Summit in Arlington, VA. Mr. Jarrett will discuss various policy issues pertaining to broadband services during the 11:30 session entitled, Current Policy Issues Affecting Utility Rural Broadband. On September 17, Keller and Heckman partner Tom Magee will participate in a legal panel at the Western Energy Institute’s Joint Use Conference in Denver, Colorado, after leading power table discussions regarding state pole attachment developments. Also on September 17, Keller and Heckman attorney Wes Wright will discuss FCC Enforcement Trends in the Pacific Northwest at the Utilities Telecom Council Region 9 Technical Conference in Spokane, Washington. Mr. Wright’s presentation will focus on FCC enforcement initiatives. For additional information, please contact Mr. Magee at (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128) or Mr. Wright at (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
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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.