Public Notice: Weekly Meetings on Forward-looking Cost Mechanism for Universal Service Support

[ text version ]

fcclogo PUBLIC NOTICE

Federal Communications Commission
1919 - M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554 News media information 202 / 418-0500
Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
ftp.fcc.gov

DA 97-1810
Released August 22, 1997

WEEKLY MEETINGS ON FORWARD-LOOKING COST MECHANISM
FOR UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUPPORT
CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 97-160

The Common Carrier Bureau and the staff of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (CC Docket No. 96-45) will hold weekly meetings 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 merits of the two models, and any changes that the proponents may make in the two models. These meetings are intended to help the Commission select a forward-looking economic cost mechanism to be used to determine non- rural carriers' cost to provide supported services in rural, insular, and high cost areas. See Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service, CC Docket No. 96-45, Forward-Looking Mechanism for High Cost Support for Non-Rural LECs, CC Docket No. 97-160, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 97-256 (rel. Jul. 18, 1997).
The meetings will be attended by Commission staff, state Joint Board staff, and representatives of the model proponents. The model proponents will file detailed ex parte letters after each meeting describing the information and positions they conveyed at the meeting. These ex parte letters will be filed with the Commission Secretary in CC Docket No. 96-45 and will be available in the FCC Reference Room, 1919 M Street, NW, Room 230, or through the Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Service (ITS), 1919 M Street, NW, Room 246, (202) 857-3800. Other interested parties may follow the progress of the meetings by monitoring the ex parte letters, or may participate by attending the meetings. A limited number of parties may participate in the meetings by telephone conference call. Any party making any comments or presentation in the meetings, in person or by telephone, must file an ex parte letter with the Commission Secretary in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. See 47 C.F.R. § § 1.1200 et seq.
The meetings will be held each Wednesday until further notice, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the conference room of the Universal Service Branch, 2100 M Street, NW, Eighth Floor. An additional meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, September 8, 1997, at the same hour and place. For further information about these meetings, contact Astrid Carlson, (202) 418-7369.

- FCC -

	PUBLIC NOTICE
	Federal Communications Commission 1919 - M Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20554	News media information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov

	DA 97-1810 Released August 22, 1997
	WEEKLY MEETINGS ON FORWARD-LOOKING COST MECHANISM FOR UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUPPORT CC Docket Nos. 96-45 and 97-160
	The Common Carrier Bureau and the staff of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (CC Docket No. 96-45) will hold weekly meetings 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 merits of the two models, and any changes that the proponents may make in the two models. These meetings are intended to help the Commission select a forward-looking economic cost mechanism to be used to determine non- rural carriers' cost to provide supported services in rural, insular, and high cost areas. See Federal State Joint Board on Universal Service, CC Docket No. 96-45, Forward-Looking Mechanism for High Cost Support for Non-Rural LECs, CC Docket No. 97-160, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 97-256 (rel. Jul. 18, 1997). The meetings will be attended by Commission staff, state Joint Board staff, and representatives of the model proponents. The model proponents will file detailed ex parte letters after each meeting describing the information and positions they conveyed at the meeting. These ex parte letters will be filed with the Commission Secretary in CC Docket No. 96-45 and will be available in the FCC Reference Room, 1919 M Street, NW, Room 230, or through the Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Service (ITS), 1919 M Street, NW, Room 246, (202) 857-3800. Other interested parties may follow the progress of the meetings by monitoring the ex parte letters, or may participate by attending the meetings. A limited number of parties may participate in the meetings by telephone conference call. Any party making any comments or presentation in the meetings, in person or by telephone, must file an ex parte letter with the Commission Secretary in accordance with the Commission's ex parte rules. See 47 C.F.R. § § 1.1200 et seq. The meetings will be held each Wednesday until further notice, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the conference room of the Universal Service Branch, 2100 M Street, NW, Eighth Floor. An additional meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, September 8, 1997, at the same hour and place. For further information about these meetings, contact Astrid Carlson, (202) 418-7369. - FCC -