# Presentation: 681478

## Wireline Competition Bureau2004

- Promoting Real Consumer Choice and Investment in Broadband Facilities

## 2004 Objectives

**BROADBAND**
- Tackle VoIP and wireline broadband
**DONE AND CONTINUING**

**COMPETITION**
**COMPLETED TRIENNIAL REMAND**
- Address network pricing **2005**
- Pending forbearance petitions
**DONE AND CONTINUING**

**UNIVERSAL SERVICE**
- Promote universal service
- Keep reforming administration – rural health care, E-rate
**DONE AND CONTINUING**

**MODERNIZE THE FCC**
- No backlog greater than 30 months by year’s end  **MID YEAR 2005**
- Improve staff workplace and quality of life
**DONE AND CONTINUING**

- Last year, we said we would:

## Modernize the FCCWCB Efficiency

**Improved workflow, document and knowledge management**
- Released 152 Orders and NPRMs (including 47 Circulate items and 17 Agenda items),
- 92 Competition Orders and NPRMs,
- 28 Universal Service Orders and NPRMs,and 122 E-rate Appeals/ Waivers

**Employees participating in appropriate career development activities**
- Increased expenditure of education and training funds by 63% over 2003

**Increased rate of agency achievements of strategic objectives**
- Completed work in 2004 within agency goals (100% Speed of Disposal)

## Modernize the FCCWCB Efficiency

**High Productivity**
- Drafted 30% of Agenda
- items adopted (16 of 53)
- 1107 Tariffs Filed
- 402 Congressional Letters
- 21 Statistical Reports
- 4 Staff Studies
- 2698 ARMIS filings
- Biennial Review -  reviewed
- rules in 16 C.F.R. rule parts

**Backlog Reduction**
- Completed 34 of 52 backlog items (65% reduction)

## 				Modernize the FCCGoals for 2005

- Complete backlog reduction efforts
- While completing significant current rulemakings, eliminate all backlog greater than 30 months old by mid-year, and institute processes to keep backlog down
- Continue to improve staff workplace and quality of life
- Create meaningful incentives and consistently recognize staff contributions
- Encourage training and create opportunities for personal and professional advancement
- Continue to meet 100% of Bureau Speed of Disposal goals

## 					Broadband

- Triennial Review Recon Orders and Section 271 Forbearance Order clarified access rules for fiber to apartment buildings and fiber to the curb, removing disincentives to investment in next generation broadband facilities.

- Pulver, AT&T and Vonage IP Orders, and the IP-Enabled Services rulemaking, ensure continued growth of VoIP, supporting unprecedented consumer choice and new telecom investment..

- Supported extensive monitoring of deployment, engaging in broadband data collection and a Broadband Symposium; issued the 706 Report on Broadband to Congress.

**RESULTS**
- Announcements of additional fiber deployments by major carriers
- VoIP Subscribers increased from 131,000 in Dec. 2003 to an estimated 1,000,000 in Dec. 2004
- DSL lines increased from 2.0 million in Dec. 2000 to 11.4 million in June 2004, with a *49% increase* from 6/03-6/04
- Internet access in schools increased from 77% in 2000 to 99% in 2004

- Improved oversight of E-rate program, ensuring that this vital support of broadband access is managed in accordance with all applicable laws and principles of good government.

## 	Broadband Goals for 2005

- Complete Work on IP Services Issues
- Address social policy goals, including 911 availability and disability access
- Resolve remaining regulatory status issues
- Address compensation issues related to IP
- Continue to Promote Broadband Deployment
- Address regulatory status of Wireline Broadband Internet Access Service
- Review whether dominant regulatory status is appropriate for Incumbent telephone companies competing in broadband markets
- Further improve E-rate oversight

## 			Sustainable, Real Competition

-  Intermodal number portability advances choice among different platforms by allowing consumers to take their number with them; Triennial Remand established sustainable ground rules and encouraged transition to facilities-based competition.

- Expanded eligibility of low-income consumers for universal service support, took action to provide support for competitive telecommunications carriers, and increased distribution of support for rural health care, thus ensuring competitive and robust services are available in all areas and to consumers hardest to serve.

- In two access charge reform proceedings, clarified and reduced the interstate charges paid by long distance carriers for access to local networks.

**RESULTS**
- US population with 3+ CLEC providers:  67% in Dec. 2000; 87.4% in June 2004
- Cable telephony subscribers: 1.1 million in Dec. 2000; 3.3 million in June 2004
- CLEC-owned and unbundled loops: 7.7 million in Dec. 2000; 11.8 million in June 2004
- Since 2000, CPI increased 9.7% for all goods and services, but *decreased 3.6*% for telephone service

## 	CompetitionGoals for 2005

- Facilities-based Competition
- Continued resolution of local competition issues
- Progress on reforming and simplifying industry intercarrier compensation structure
- Further examination of numbering policies
- Universal Service
- Revising Contribution Methodology
- Review administration of USF

## 	Homeland SecurityPromoting Safety

**Rural Telemedicine**
- Adopted rules that strengthen telemedicine
- and telehealth networks

**Section 214 Process**
- Promoted market access and service continuity by processing 104 applications to change or discontinue service;
*Continuing in 2005*

**Pipeline Safety Act Rulemaking**
- Proposed rules to improve the security and safety of our nation's underground infrastructure;
*Pipeline Safety Act Order in 2005*

**Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)**
- Worked with OET to address issues regarding application of CALEA to IP-Enabled Services
*Continuing in 2005*

## Wireline Competition Bureau2005 and Beyond

- 2005 Major Initiatives
- IP-Enabled Services
- Broadband Policy
- Intercarrier Compensation
- Universal Service Reform
- Employee Retention