Charter Communications' interconnection market power seems to have increased since its buy of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, so the FCC's finding in approving that deal that Charter would be able to extract excessive interconnection fees is still true, Incompas officials told an aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, said a docket 16-197 ex parte posting Wednesday. Incompas said the flourishing online video distribution market makes it even more likely Charter would extract access fees if the TWC/BHN merger conditions were lifted as Charter asks (see 2006180050). It said the FCC should gather more evidence about how the interconnection market has been affected by conditions on Charter and on AT&T/Time Warner, and by FCC oversight of interconnection agreements during the net neutrality regime. Charter didn't comment.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declared “massive victory” Wednesday as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mostly upheld the agency’s 2018 wireless infrastructure orders on small cells and local moratoria. Industry also applauded the court for rejecting local government claims that the FCC inappropriately preempted their authority in the federal agency’s effort to streamline 5G deployment. The 9th Circuit fully upheld the agency’s one-touch, make-ready (OTMR) order.

The telecom and competitive networks industries reached agreement on whether and how much access LECs need to provide to DS0, DS1, DS3 and operation support systems. USTelecom and Incompas said Thursday the agreement covers numerous interested CLECs and ILECs, and that it's a compromise between the sides. In a filing in FCC docket 19-308, they urged a draft order incorporating the compromise and laid out specifics. They said its dual non-impairment/forbearance approach increases the odds that such an order would be affirmed if appealed. They said the compromise is outside some of what they previously advocated, but it's within the FCC discretion and supported by the record. They said the commission has the authority to also craft a transitional period.

The FCC got broad opposition to a proposal for deregulating telephone access charges in an April NPRM (see 2007070025), in comments posted through Wednesday in docket 20-71. The agency cast the TAC NPRM as a bid to “eliminate outdated and unnecessary regulations” and simplify bills for consumers.

Incompas wants FCC action on multi-tenant environment rules, the subject of a pending NPRM (see 1909030022). “Incumbent communications providers and landlords have used graduated revenue sharing and access fees as well as wiring and rooftop exclusivity arrangements to circumvent the Commission’s access rules and exclude competitive providers from MTEs,” Incompas said in a filing posted Monday in docket 17-142: “When used in combination with other exclusivity arrangements, exclusive marketing practices amount to de facto exclusive access and reduce the odds of a competitive provider being able to achieve penetration rates in MTEs that bring an acceptable return on their investment.”

An Incompas grandfathering proposal on dark fiber (see 2002060006) is “a reasonable path forward,” Uniti told the FCC. “The record in this proceeding conclusively shows competitive local exchange carriers continue to be impaired without unbundled network element access to dark fiber interoffice transport,” the company said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-308. “Recent AT&T and USTelecom filings ignore the evidence, which is replete within the Commission’s record, demonstrating the importance of unbundled Dark Fiber Transport to competitive last mile deployment" and a" lack of viable commercial alternatives."

Incompas’ show scheduled for Sept. 14-16 in Las Vegas will be virtual. “As much as we all had hoped to be able to meet in person this September … the well-being of our attendees and exhibitors takes precedence," said CEO Chip Pickering. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, we will be moving to an all-virtual 2020 INCOMPAS Show.” Earlier Tuesday, CTA did the same with CES 2021 (see 2007280034). Our news bulletin is here. (It's in front of the pay wall, like some other coronavirus coverage.)

Incompas’ show scheduled for Sept. 14-16 in Las Vegas will be virtual. “As much as we all had hoped to be able to meet in person this September … the well-being of our attendees and exhibitors takes precedence," said CEO Chip Pickering. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, we will be moving to an all-virtual 2020 INCOMPAS Show.” Earlier Tuesday, CTA did the same with CES 2021 (see 2007280034). Our news bulletin is here. (It's in front of the pay wall, like some other coronavirus coverage.)

An Incompas grandfathering proposal on dark fiber (see 2002060006) is “a reasonable path forward,” Uniti told the FCC. “The record in this proceeding conclusively shows competitive local exchange carriers continue to be impaired without unbundled network element access to dark fiber interoffice transport,” the company said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-308. “Recent AT&T and USTelecom filings ignore the evidence, which is replete within the Commission’s record, demonstrating the importance of unbundled Dark Fiber Transport to competitive last mile deployment" and a" lack of viable commercial alternatives."

Incompas’ show scheduled for Sept. 14-16 in Las Vegas will be virtual. “As much as we all had hoped to be able to meet in person this September … the well-being of our attendees and exhibitors takes precedence," said CEO Chip Pickering. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, we will be moving to an all-virtual 2020 INCOMPAS Show.” Earlier Tuesday, CTA did the same with CES 2021 (see 2007280034). Our news bulletin is here. (It's in front of the pay wall, like some other coronavirus coverage.)