Technologie i telekomunikacja · 08/09/1995

Establishment of a Joint Board

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking (Notice) inviting comment on proposals to revise the assistance mechanisms contained in the jurisdictional separations rules applicable to Dial Equipment Minutes (``DEM'') weighting and the Universal Service Fund (``USF''). The Commission invited comment on whether DEM weighting should be phased out or, if it is retained, whether it should be merged with the USF or otherwise reformed. The Commission also proposed three basic approaches to revising the USF, by either reforming the current mechanism, which bases assistance on the carriers' reported costs, or introducing a system basing assistance on proxy factors, or allocating the fund among the States, which would design their own distribution programs, according to the Commission's guidelines. The Commission referred the proposals to the Federal-State Joint Board in this proceeding for a recommended decision. In addition, the Commission issued a Notice of Inquiry (``NOI'') seeking comment regarding: the need for further rulemaking to develop a program to reduce the USF in competitive markets through least-cost bidding, and the appropriate long-range