HomeMy WebLinkAboutTelecommunications Board - Minutes - 05/06/2003TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
****May 6, 2003 ****
*** 6:00 PM ***
Council Liaison:
Kurt Kastein
Staff Liaison:
Liz Stroh
Chairperson:
Lawrence Bontempo
Phone: 484-3980
(W)
Members Present: Larry Bontempo, Curt Cramer, Tim Tillson, David Heiberg, Herb
Saperstone, Braun Mincher
Members Absent: None
City Staff Present: Eric Dahlgren, Gary Gordier, Liz Stroh
Guests: Bruce Smith, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Vice -Chair Curt Cramer called the meeting to order at 6:05 PM
Approval of Minutes:
A motion to approve the April minutes was made by Braun Mincher, seconded by Herb
Saperstone. The motion was passed unanimously
Colorado Public Utilities Commission
Bruce Smith, Director of the PUC provided the Board with information about various
telecommunications issues.
His first topic dealt with an FCC rulemaking that deals with unbundled network elements
(UNEs). On December 12, 2001, the Commission initiated a rulemaking to re-examine
the Commission's policies on unbundled network elements (UNEs). The rulemaking
solicited information about how local exchange carriers provide access to competitors.
The triennial review is underway, and many state PUC's are in agreement that the
action proposed by the FCC is not in accord with the intent of the Telecommunications
Act of 1996. FCC has been in court several times about shifting too much to the state
PUC's. The FCC has given the states 9 months to complete the proceedings, which is
not enough time. The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
(NARUC) is looking for ways to collaborate to try to meet the deadline. One of the
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bigger questions is whether switching is an element that should be unbundled. The
Colorado PUC believes it is an element that should be unbundled, and that a date
should be set to have that happen.
Another topic was access charge reform. Long distance companies are demanding
that charges for intrastate access be modified to be more equitable. Currently, the
Colorado PUC has denied the request. Colorado has a firm price cap of $14 on
residential service. The price is artificially low, and the actual cost is probably closer to
$21 per month. The Legislature will handle the inter -carrier compensation issues.
Mr. Smith noted that the FCC has until 2004 to make a decision about number
portability. He also mentioned that wireless is the area that has the most growth, and
that Qwest may not be seeing as much long distance business as anticipated. The
Colorado PUC did include a performance assurance plan for Qwest long distance when
they grated Interlata relief recently.
Voice over IP (VoIP) is also a topic of interest to the PUC. Mr. Smith believes since it
uses telephone switching network, that it is, in fact, a phone service and should be
regulated. He noted that more research and information about how the systems work is
needed. There are also E911 issues related to VoIP. He commented that technology
is bypassing the traditional inter and intra state boundaries. PUC Commission and FCC
will need to deal with these emerging issues.
Braun Mincher asked about rates, and why it costs more to call Denver than it does to
call Europe (as an example). Mr. Smith responded that distance is not a basis for
determining the cost structure
Curt Cramer asked about whether digital subscriber lines could/should be shared. This
will be a PUC issue. A member of the public attending the meeting commented that the
central offices in the state are being updated with DSL capabilities.
Mr. Smith closed by explaining that the PUC spends most of its time on utilities, rather
than the other responsibility of regulating transportation like tow trucks, cabs, etc.
Intrastate regulatory programs are paid for by trucking fees.
Telecommunications Policy
The Board discussed whether or not they should recommend that the City's 1996
Telecommunications policy should be updates. Herb suggested that it may be
worthwhile to update the executive summary to reflect changes that have happened
since the policy was passed by City Council.
Other Business:
The Board asked staff to contact a representative from a satellite dish company to meet
with them.
Liz also gave a brief update about the Franchise renewal process. A consultant has
been chosen and the City is finalizing the scope of service and professional services
agreement.
Adjournment
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Braun moved to adjourn at 7:30 PM, with a second to the motion by Larry Bontempo.
Staff Liaison
Date
06/03/03