Caller ID Authentication Second Report & Order Also known as STIR/SHAKEN. Summary The FCC released its Second Report and Order on caller ID authentication requirements also known as STIR/SHAKEN on October 1, 2020. A few of the Order highlights are the extension of the STIR/SHAKEN implementation deadline from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2023…
Continue Reading8YY Access Charge Reform Transition of 8YY Access Charges & Caps on Tandem Switched Transport & Database Query Charges. Summary On October 9, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released a Report and Order relating to 8YY Access Charge Reform. The Report and Order announced a transition of 8YY originating end office access charges to…
Continue ReadingFCC Designation of 988 – 3-Digit Dialing for Suicide Prevention Effective for all carriers July 16, 2022. Reminder As a follow up to the August 13, 2020 Vantage Point Memo, we would like to remind carriers of their obligations to implement 988 3-digit dialing effective July 16, 2022. All service providers will be required to…
Continue Reading911 Reliability Certification The Annual 911 Reliability Certification is due October 15, 2020. Beginning October 15, 2015, all “Covered 911 Service Providers” are required to certify annually that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service related to (1) 911 circuit diversity, (2) central office backup power, and (3) diverse network monitoring. The…
Continue ReadingLifeline Supported Services Minimum Standards New standards take effect December 1, 2020. On July 31, 2020, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing the new Lifeline Minimum Standards that will take effect on December 1, 2020: Fixed Broadband: 25/3 Mbps with 1024 GB of usage per month Exception: If 25/3 Mbps is unavailable at the…
Continue ReadingTRS Fund Modifications Contributions will be modified for 2020-2021 fund year. The FCC released a Report and Order in November 2019 to broaden the support mechanism for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) and reduce the current burden put on Interstate Telecommunications providers. The FCC launched IP CTS many years ago with an interim…
Continue ReadingPerformance Measures Module The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has developed a Performance Measures Module (PMM), which will be the reporting system used for performance measures testing. The PMM will: Allow carriers to differentiate HUBB reported locations as actively served vs. not actively served. Allow USAC to select a random sampling of actively served locations…
Continue ReadingCARES Act: COVID-19 Funding Assistance Measures The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt daily life and business operations, creating additional urgent demand for reliable broadband networks while causing financial hardships for many. On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law in an effort to help meet…
Continue ReadingData Collection Extension On April 2, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a 30-day extension for Supply Chain Data Collection in DA 20-370, making the new due date May 22, 2020. All Universal Service Fund (USF) recipients that were eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) as of December 31, 2019 must respond to the mandatory FCC…
Continue ReadingCOVID-19: Recommendations for Broadband & Telecom Providers These are unusual times, as COVID-19 has disrupted daily life and business operations across the country. In doing so, the current pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable, robust, fully supported broadband networks. Vantage Point offers the following recommendations and best practices for maintaining and supporting your networks…
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