Trade Group Calls On The FCC To Reject Self-Serving ABC Plan Advanced By Big Telcos
PITTSBURGH, September 7, 2011 – To update the Universal Service Fund for the broadband age, the Federal Communications Commission should adopt fiscally sound and competitively neutral reforms and reject backward, pro-incumbent formulations advanced by large telephone companies determined to maintain a firm grip on as much government financial support as possible, according to the American Cable Association.
“Universal Service Fund reform is too important to be left only to the big incumbent telcos,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. “A new federal fund created to support broadband access and services will not be used efficiently and will not reflect new market conditions if AT&T, Verizon, and other large carriers are allowed to rig the game in their favor while having an obligation to provide rural consumers with only yesterday’s technology.”
ACA’s views were presented yesterday in comments filed with the FCC in connection with the agency’s plan to channel USF funds to promote broadband deployment in rural markets for the first time in the agency’s history. Traditionally, USF money was dedicated to keeping local voice service rates affordable in rural and high-cost areas but that system, developed during the monopoly phone era, never contemplated the explosion in choice, service, and technology enjoyed by the vast majority of consumers today.
ACA is concerned that the large phone companies’ USF reform plan, known as the ABC Plan, would give them preferential treatment and shut out cable operators and other entities that can serve as low-cost and high-performance providers in rural areas. Under the ABC Plan, billions of dollars earmarked to subsidize advanced broadband services will not be spent efficiently.
“The USF money — $4.5 billion for the high cost fund alone annually – is collected from voice customers every month and these taxpayers have every right to expect that their money is used in the most productive way. ACA’s USF reform proposals would protect the interests of taxpayers, but the big telcos do not appear to share the same agenda,” Polka said.
ACA’s comments pointed out that the ABC Plan would deny funding to competitors that could serve high-cost areas by blocking ACA’s call for awarding support through competitive bidding or reverse auctions. As a result, these large phone companies would skew funding in their direction, undermining key pillars of reform: fiscal responsibility and competitive neutrality. The large phone companies also want to maintain their eligibility for USF support by endorsing first generation broadband speed minimums that can barely support commonly used online video services.
“The effect of this policy is to relegate users in these areas to inadequate broadband service. ACA members are prepared today to receive USF support to offer broadband service at higher speeds and to increase those speeds over time,” Polka said.
ACA repeated its view that the ABC Plan is fixable if the FCC supports a reform agenda advanced by ACA. Among other things, ACA has called for a permanent cap on support in high-cost areas; distribution of funding on a competitively neutral basis; elimination or limitation of any access replacement mechanism for the larger incumbent telcos; and acceleration of the phase-out of legacy price cap support mechanisms.
About the American Cable Association
Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 900 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7.6 million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business. For more information, visit https://acaconnects.org/