FCC Asks Court to Hold off on Reviews of Lifeline Broadband Provider, BDS Tariff Orders

The FCC asked a court to hold off on reviewing the agency's new process for designating Lifeline broadband providers, which is being challenged by NARUC and various states (see 1701310007). "Holding these cases in abeyance will allow the newly constituted Commission an opportunity to determine how it plans to proceed with respect to these cases," the FCC told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a filing Friday (in Pacer) in NARUC v. FCC, No. 16-1170. "The United States does not oppose this motion. We are also authorized to state that petitioners and their supporting intervenor do not oppose a limited term abeyance of 90 days." The commission also asked the D.C. Circuit to hold in abeyance its review of challenges to FCC business data service tariff investigation orders for similar reasons. "Undersigned counsel is authorized to represent that Petitioner AT&T and Intervenor CenturyLink consent to the motion, Respondent the United States does not oppose the motion, and Intervenors Level 3 Communications, Sprint Corporation, INCOMPAS, and the Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committee take no position on the motion," said an FCC filing (in Pacer) Friday in AT&T v. FCC, No. 16-1145.