FCC to Delay Controversial ICC/USF Vote?
The FCC looks poised to delay its planned Nov. 4 vote on intercarrier compensation/Universal Service Fund (ICC/USF) reform, thanks to intense lobbying from smaller providers and associations for more time to consider the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin probably will be forced to move the vote on his controversial draft order because he can’t secure the support of his four fellow commissioners. The Journal said a vote likely would be shifted to December, although the current FCC will be a lame-duck agency at that point, with a new administration set to take office.
That would be a coup for the CLECs, RLECS, states, consumer advocates and lawmakers that have put the screws to the FCC over the past two weeks for more time to consider the details. They still would have one hurdle to overcome, however. Even if Martin reschedules the vote, activists want to see the draft order. Martin has refused to release it, contending the industry has had seven years to comment on ICC/USF reform. Problem is, only the FCC inner circle knows the minutiae, which is reported to favor, heavily, the Bells.
If the vote is postponed, chances are good ICC/USF reform would start anew. A new administration will have been selected by December and, particularly if Barack Obama is elected, the FCC will have a whole new makeup as of Jan. 21.
