Regulatory Commission of Alaska

Reply Comments for R-18-001 by Representative David Guttenberg

I’ve reviewed the Consensus Proposal from the Alaska Telephone Association and am glad to see the dialogue being fostered by the RCA’s consideration of the full repeal of the Alaska Universal Service Fund Regulations. While I do not believe the RCA should repeal AUSF regulations without a plan for how to reform and reimplement the AUSF, we must look to the future and begin thinking about how we can use all available tools to provide Alaskans with the services that are taken for granted throughout much of the rest of the country. 
The AUSF plays a crucial role in ensuring that all Alaskans have access to the most basic telecommunication services.  It is also one of the best tools we have to help support the development and expansion of modern broadband networks in our state. The Consensus Proposal put forward by the ATA does not adequately address how the AUSF should be reformed in order to support the infrastructure Alaska needs to bridge its digital divide and grow and diversify our economy in the 21st century. 
I’m concerned that the Consensus Proposal would enshrine current carrier support without doing anything to enhance carrier accountability.  The industry’s suggestion that AUSF regulations should not be reviewed and updated until 2029 is simply unacceptable.  That’s over ten years away.  That’s over ten years of support that could be used to help Alaskans get better access to faster broadband.  That’s over ten years that the rest of the world will be building the infrastructure of the future.  That’s over ten years that we’ll continue to fall further behind.  I urge the Commission to do everything in its power to ensure that this does not happen.

Type

Comments

Date Filed

4/2/2018

Tracking Number

TR1801680

Filed By

David Guttenberg

Entities

Certificate(s)

Means Received

Internet

Related Matters

R-18-001	Regulations - Alaska Universal Service Fund

To sort by a column, click the column heading Total Results: 1

	File Name	Description	File Size	File Type
	Reply Comment R-18-001.pdf	Public Comment for R-18-001 by Representative David Guttenberg	309605 kb	.pdf

Show Supporting Documents

Select All
Select None

= File is confidential.fidential.

Tell me about the document Shopping Cart

701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300 Anchorage, Alaska 99501-3469
Phone: (907) 276-6222 Fax: (907) 276-0160 TTY/Alaska Relay: 7-1-1 or 1-800-770-8973
Toll Free: (1-800) 390-2782 (outside Anchorage, within Alaska)
Webmaster: webmaster.rca@alaska.gov