[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 191 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 51622-51623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25791]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 54
[CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 97-160, DA 97-2050]
Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service; Forward-Looking
Mechanism for High Cost Support for Non-Rural LECs
Released September 24, 1997.
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Proposed Rule; notice of meetings.
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SUMMARY: Each Wednesday, the Common Carrier Bureau holds meetings with
the proponents of the Hatfield Model and the Benchmark Cost Proxy Model
to solicit the model proponents' individual views on the models'
current
[[Page 51623]]
features, the relative merits of the two models, and any changes that
the proponents make in the two models. These meetings are open to the
public. There will be no meeting on Wednesday, October 1, 1997.
Instead, a meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 1997. The
hour and place will remain unchanged (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the
conference room of the Universal Service Branch, 2100 M Street, N.W.,
Eighth Floor). Subsequent meetings will be held each Wednesday until
further notice.
DATES: The next meeting will be held on September 30, 1997, 1:00 to
4:00 p.m. Subsequent meetings will be held each Wednesday until further
notice.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Universal Service Branch,
Federal Communications Commission, 2100 M St., NW., Eighth Floor
Conference Room, Washington, D.C.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Astrid Carlson, Universal Service
Branch, Accounting & Audits Division, Common Carrier Bureau (202) 418-
7369.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
October 1, 1997 Meeting on Forward-Looking Cost Mechanism For
Universal Service Support For Non-Rural Carriers Rescheduled to
September 30, 1997
In the Universal Service Order released May 8, 1997, the
Commission, acting on the recommendation of the Federal-State Joint
Board, concluded that universal service support for non-rural carriers
should be determined by subtracting a benchmark revenue amount from the
forward-looking economic cost of providing the supported
services.1 The Commission concluded that it should continue
to review two cost models, the Hatfield Model and the Benchmark Cost
Proxy Model (BCPM).2 The Commission further concluded that
it would select the platform design features 3 of a forward-
looking economic cost mechanism by December 31, 1997, and select a
complete mechanism, including input values, by August 1998.4
In a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in this proceeding,
the Commission stated that it would consider a hybrid mechanism,
combining the best features of both models, and might also ``study
alternative algorithms and approaches that could be submitted by
parties other than model sponsors or that could be generated internally
by Commission staff.'' 5
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\1\ Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, CC Docket
No. 96-45, Report and Order, FCC 97-157, (released May 8, 1997) 62
FR 32862 (June 17, 1997) (Order) at paras. 199-201.
\2\ The proponents of the Hatfield Model are AT&T and MCI. The
proponents of BCPM are US West, Sprint, and BellSouth. See Order at
Appendix J for a description of the Hatfield Model and BCPM.
\3\ In the context of a forward-looking economic cost mechanism,
the ``platform'' refers to the fixed algorithms and assumptions
built into a cost model, as contrasted with user-specified
``inputs'' into a cost model. See Federal-State Joint Board on
Universal Service, Forward Looking Mechanism for High Cost Support
for Non-Rural LECs, CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 97-160, Further Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 97-256 (released July 18, 1997) 62 FR
42457 (August 7, 1997) (FNPRM) at paras. 17-18.
\4\ Order at para. 245.
\5\ FNPRM at para. 35.
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As part of the process of considering mechanisms for computing the
forward-looking economic cost of providing the supported services in
rural, insular, and high cost areas, the Common Carrier Bureau and the
staff of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service hold
meetings each Wednesday with the proponents of the Hatfield Model and
the Benchmark Cost Proxy Model (BCPM) to solicit the model proponents'
individual views on the models' current features, the relative mertis
of the two models, and any changes that the proponents may make in the
two models.
These meetings are open to the public. There will be no meeting on
Wednesday, October 1, 1997. Instead, a meeting will be held on Tuesday,
September 30, 1997. The hour and the place will remain unchanged (1 pm
to 4 pm in the conference room of the Universal Service Branch, 2100 M
Street, NW, Eighth Floor). Subsequent meetings will be held each
Wednesday until further notice.
For further information about these workshops, contact Chuck
Keller, (202) 418-7380, ckeller@fcc.gov.
Federal Communications Commission.
Timothy A. Peterson,
Deputy Chief, Division.
[FR Doc. 97-25791 Filed 9-30-97; 10:36 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
