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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24, 2000 |
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Mike Balmoris at (202) 418-0253 Email: mbalmori@fcc.gov | |
FCC adopts data collection program to Assess Local
Telecommunications Competition and Broadband Deployment
Information to Assist Commission's Efforts to Further Deregulate
Telecommunications Markets and Determine State of Broadband
Deployment
Washington, D.C. Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an information and data gathering questionnaire to determine the extent of local telecommunications competition and deployment of broadband services. The five-page questionnaire, which will be available for filing in an electronic format, will assist the Commission in its efforts to further implement the pro-competitive, deregulatory provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Additionally, the information collected will assist the Commission in its inquiry, as required by Congress, as to whether "advanced telecommunications capability" is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. The Commission recently initiated its second inquiry on this matter, Second Advanced Telecommunications Notice of Inquiry (FCC 00-57, released on February 18, 2000), and will use the information gathered from today's action in future broadband reports.
The Commission limits this fact-finding effort to targeted information, and is focused on gathering easily-quantifiable statistics that will reflect the level of service -- local telephony and broadband -- that is actually provided. All service providers will have the opportunity to request that information they submit be kept confidential. In addition, the Commission will release the data that it gathers in a manner that safeguards against the disclosure of confidential information. As described below, very small service providers are exempt from these reporting requirements. The Commission also adopts a sunset provision that will terminate the reporting requirement after five years, unless the Commission affirmatively acts to extend it.
Industry Outreach Campaign
- To spread awareness of the questionnaire and ensure industry
participation, the Commission will hold two public forums scheduled for
April 17 and May 1, 2000, and post a web page at
www.fcc.gov/broadband/data to provide up-to-date information, including
the questionnaire for filing. The Commission anticipates initial
responses to the questionnaire to be submitted by May 15, 2000.
The following is an overview of the data collection questionnaire:
Overall Reporting
- The Commission adopts a standardized form (FCC Form 477), and establishes reporting thresholds to collect only the necessary information.
- Data is to be reported on a state-by-state basis.
- Data is to be reported on a semi-annual basis.
- Service providers may request confidential treatment of the data they report by simply checking a box on the form.
- The Commission's existing confidentiality rules will govern treatment of the reported data, and providers requesting confidential treatment will be given all of the procedural protections afforded by those rules.
- Data is to be reported by facilities-based providers of broadband services (including incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers (LECs)), cable companies, fixed wireless providers, terrestrial and satellite mobile wireless providers, MMDS providers, utilities, and others). The Commission excludes resellers of broadband services from this information collection.
- The reporting threshold for broadband reporting is facilities-based firms that provide at least 250 one-way or two-way broadband (in excess of 200 kilobits per second) service lines or wireless channels in a given state, or have at least 250 one-way or two-way broadband customers in a given state.
- Incumbent and competitive LECs are required to report data about their provision of local exchange and exchange access services. This obligation applies without regard to the type of technology utilized by the LEC in delivering these services and without regard to the carrier's use of entry strategy (i.e., facilities-based, pure resale, or hybrid).
- The reporting threshold for local competition reporting is incumbent and competitive LECs that provide 10,000 or more voice-grade equivalent lines or wireless channels in a given state.
CC Docket No.: 99-301
Common Carrier Bureau contacts: Scott Bergmann or Ellen Burton at 202-418-0940