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The Law Offices of Thomas K. Crowe serve as Regulatory Counsel for TA to ensure that our website has up-to-date legal coverage. 

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Date Released

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due July 1, 2008 through August 31, 2008.
 

6/24/8

USF Enforcement   
Recently, the FCC levied a financial penalty for USF violations that represents its largest to date. Global Crossing North America, Inc., and two of its subsidiaries (collectively, “Global Crossing”) apparently failed to make timely required USF contributions.
 

4/23/8

USF Wholesale Providers   
Recently, the FCC noted special responsibilities wholesale providers of telecommunications services have regarding the Universal Service contributions of their resale customers.
 

4/15/8

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, NY and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due May 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008.
 

4/8/8

FCC Cracks Down on Informal Complaints   
On February 19, 2008, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") released thirteen (13) Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture ("NALs") proposing to levy fines against carriers for failure to respond to FCC informal complaints.
 

3/5/8

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, NY and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due March 4, 2008 through April 30, 2008.
 

3/5/8

New State USF Programs   
Service providers, including toll resellers, prepaid providers, MVNOs and wireless service providers, are increasingly facing a relatively new multi-jurisdictional obligation: state universal service funds (“USF”).
 

2/7/8

New FCC Slamming Rules   
On January 9, 2008, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) released its Fourth Report and Order (“Order”), which modifies its current “slamming” or carrier change verification rules.
 

1/14/8

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, FL and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due January 4, 2008 through March 1, 2008.
 

1/4/8

New CPNI Rules Effective   
In its Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, and Order on Remand (“Order”) adopted on October 31, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) extended certain Local Number Portability (“LNP”) obligations to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) providers.
 

12/18/7

FCC Extends LNP Obligations to Interconnected VoIP   
Commission’s Order requires that interconnected VoIP providers ensure consumers are able port telephone numbers to and from such VoIP providers, and that such providers contribute to shared numbering administration costs.
 

11/23/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and state (i.e., CA and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due September 1, 2007 through November 1, 2007 including the FCC Form 159 Remittance Advice for annual regulatory fees due by September 19, 2007.
 

10/1/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and state (i.e., CA and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due 09/01/07 through 11/01/07 including the FCC Form 159 Remittance Advice for annual regulatory fees due by 09/13/07.
 

9/11/7

Regulatory Fee Deadline Set   
The official FCC regulatory fee payment window for fiscal year 2007 opened August 13, 2007 and will close September 19, 2007.  All regulatory fees, along with FCC Form 159, are due no later than September 19, 2007.
 

8/17/7

FCC Extends Disability Rules to VoIP and Proposes New E911 Standards   
In its Report and Order, released 6-15-07 (adopted 5-31-07), the FCC extended the disability access requirements of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol providers and equipment manufacturers.  On 5-31-07, the FCC also released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking advancing various proposals involving Enhanced 911 location accuracy standards, including a tentative conclusion to apply the accuracy standards for commercial mobile radio services to certain interconnected VoIP services that can be used in more than one location.
 

6/25/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, NY and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due July 1, 2007 through August 31, 2007.
 

6/22/7

VoIP USF Ruling   
On June 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit predominantly upheld the FCC’s Universal Service Contribution Methodology Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“USF R&O”).
 

6/12/7

New CPNI Rules   
On April 2, 2007, the FCC released a Report and Order which adopts additional rules to protect customer proprietary network information (“CPNI”).  Under the new rules, communications carriers must notify law enforcement of any breaches of CPNI, and they must also file annual CPNI certifications with the FCC.
 

4/10/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
The information represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, NY and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due May 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007.
 

4/5/7

CPNI Enforcement   
On March 26, 2007, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau (“Bureau”) released Notices of Apparent Liability and Forfeiture (“NALs”) against Amp’d Mobile (“Amp’d”), CTC Communications Corporation (“CTC”) and Easterbrooke Cellular Corporation (“Easterbrooke”) for apparent violations of the FCC’s customer proprietary network information (“CPNI”) rules.
 

3/29/7

IDT Suit Against Prepaid Providers   
On March 8, 2007 IDT filed a lawsuit in a federal district court against twelve companies involved in providing prepaid calling card services and their officers and directors, alleging a “massive and systematic scheme” to mislead consumers under the Lanham Act’s prohibition of deceptive trade practices and other state false advertising laws.
 

3/22/7

Wholesale Ruling   
In a ruling released on March 1, 2007, the FCC ruled that wholesale telecommunications carriers may interconnect with “ILECs when they are reselling their services to other telecommunications providers, including "VoIP service providers
 

3/13/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines   
Regulatory Assessment and Reporting Requirements coming due March 10, 2007 through April 30, 2007.
 

3/8/7

FCC Prepaid Deadlines   
See http://www.tkcrowe.com/fcc_regulates_prepaid.html for more detail.
 

2/13/7

FCC Prepaid Processing   
On February 1, 2007, the FCC issued a Public Notice requesting comment on a petition filed by a prepaid calling card provider, Locus Telecommunications Inc., requesting a declaratory ruling that calls to a prepaid calling card provider’s toll-free customer service number are not subject to payphone compensation....... click here for further info.......
 

2/7/7

Call Home Act of 2006   
In a recent order implementing the Call Home Act of 2006, the FCC determined that it will no longer require certain telecommunications providers, including providers of prepaid calling cards, post-paid calling cards, and collect calls, to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF) and the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) fund based on revenues derived from calls to the U.S. made by Armed Forces personnel serving abroad.
 

1/30/7

FCC Enforcement Action  
In a ruling released on December 27, 2006, the FCC assessed a $466,000 penalty against Compass, Inc., a long distance reseller, for violations of the FCC’s payphone (or dial around) compensation rules.  The decision represents the agency’s first enforcement action for non-compliance with the payphone compensation rules. 
 

1/4/7

Important Regulatory Deadlines  
The information represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, FL and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due January 1, 2007 through February 28, 2007.  The filing deadlines generally apply to diverse types of service providers, including interexchange or long distance telecommunications service providers, prepaid calling card providers, wireless providers and MVNOs, as well as other types of providers.
 

1/2/7

CALEA Reporting Deadlines  
On December 14, 2006, the FCC set two deadlines for important reporting requirements associated with interconnected VoIP provider compliance with the CALEA.  Specifically, interconnected VoIP providers must file CALEA monitoring reports by February 12, 2007 and CALEA system security plans by March 12, 2007. 
 

12/19/6

Important Regulatory Deadlines  
Coming due November 1 - December 31, 2006
 

10/18/6

Contribution Factor for Q4

9/19/6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

8-17-6

USF Wireless Safe Harbor and VoIP

7-10-6

FCC Regulates Prepaid Card Providers

7-7-6

New USF Rules

6-26-6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

6-19-6

Federal Excise Tax

6-2-6

WUTC Eliminates Use of Price Lists

5-24-6

California CPNI

5-22-6

VoIP CALEA

5-22-6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

4-13-6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

3-17-6

CPNI Rules Proposed

2-16-6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

2-15-6

CPNI Certificates

2-2-6

Important Regulatory Deadlines

1-9-6

Prepaid Penalty

12-22-5

Important Regulatory Deadlines

12-16-5

Important Regulatory Deadlines

10-7-5

New CALEA Order

10-4-5

FCC USF Fines

9-9-5

Important Regulatory Deadlines

8-17-5

Regulatory Fee Deadline Set

8-3-5