The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established deadlines for comments in response to its November 2014 release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks comment on three issues that are related to the ongoing modernization of the nation’s communications networks (Emerging Wireline Networks and Services NPRM). In the NPRM, the FCC suggests a number of ways to ensure consumers have reliable backup power; proposes that service providers be required to notify consumers when retiring legacy services and ensure that new services meet the needs of consumers; and concludes that service providers seeking to discontinue a service used as a wholesale input should be required to provide competitive carriers equivalent wholesale access going forward, and proposes that competitive carriers receive sufficient notice of such situations. Comments in response to the NPRM are due on or before February 5, 2015, and reply comments are due March 9, 2015.
