PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 445 12th STREET, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 DA 99-2985 News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov COMMON CARRIER BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON REQUESTS TO REDEFINE "VOICE GRADE ACCESS" FOR PURPOSES OF FEDERAL UNIVERSAL SERVICE SUPPORT PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED CC Docket No. 96-45 Release Date: December 22, 1999 Comment Date: January 19, 2000 Reply Comment Date: February 4, 2000 In this Public Notice (Notice), we seek comment on requests made by certain state commissions and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) asking the Commission to redefine "voice grade access" in section 54.101 of the Commission's universal service rules. The Commission requires that, in order to be eligible for universal service support, a carrier must offer, among other things, voice grade access to the public switched network. As originally adopted, section 54.101 specified that voice grade access should occur in a frequency range between approximately 500 Hertz (Hz) to 4,000 Hz. In the Fourth Reconsideration Order, the Commission determined that this technical requirement exceeded the frequency ranges generally provided under current industry practices and guidelines. Based on its concern that this requirement would have had the unintended effect of making many carriers ineligible to receive universal service support under the Commission's rules, the Commission revised the bandwidth requirement for voice grade access to a minimum frequency range of 300 Hz to 3,000 Hz. RUS and the state commissions have asked the Commission to reconsider the revised voice grade access requirement and specify a wider bandwidth. Specifically, they propose a minimum frequency range of 200 Hz or 300 Hz to 3,400 Hz or 3,500 Hz. They do not suggest that the 300 Hz to 3,000 Hz frequency range specified in the Commission's rules is insufficient to ensure appropriate quality of voice transmission over the public switched telephone network. Rather, they are concerned that the Commission's current voice grade access bandwidth requirement does not ensure that rural consumers using 28.8 kilobits per second (kbps) modems to access the Internet and other information services can achieve data transmission speeds reasonably comparable to those achieved by non-rural consumers using 28.8 kbps modems. We seek comment on these requests to redefine the Commission's voice grade access requirement. We seek comment, in particular, on the technical issues involved in modifying that requirement. Although bandwidth affects the speed at which modems operate, modem performance is a function of several factors, only one of which is bandwidth. In that regard, we invite commenters to identify factors other than bandwidth that affect modem performance in rural and non-rural areas. We also request that commenters provide detailed and technical information with respect to how any such change would affect carriers' eligibility to receive universal service support. We seek comment on how to ensure that consumers and carriers in rural areas are not adversely affected if the Commission modifies the voice grade bandwidth requirement and if, as a result, certain rural carriers become ineligible to receive universal service support. Commenters should also explain how an expanded definition of voice grade access for purposes of universal service support would affect the new high-cost universal service mechanism that will be implemented for non-rural carriers on January 1, 2000. We ask commenters to discuss the need for and implications of "hold harmless" provisions under such circumstances. Finally, we seek comment on the financial impact that expanding the Commission's definition of voice grade access to support faster voiceband data transmission would have on individual carriers. Commenters should address whether an increase in the bandwidth required for voice grade access may have the unintended effect of encouraging substantial investment in the public switched telephone network to enhance analog modem performance to the possible detriment of investment in high speed, switched broadband networks. We ask commenters to identify other technical parameters that the Commission might adopt, in addition to possible changes to the voice grade access requirements, to improve rural consumers' access to the Internet and other information services. Commenters are encouraged to provide detailed comment on these as well as any additional issues raised by the petitions and proposals to modify the Commission's current voice grade access bandwidth requirement. Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments on or before January 19, 2000, and reply comments on or before February 4, 2000. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24,121 (1998). Comments filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to . Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. If multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, however, commenters must transmit one electronic copy of the comments to each docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit electronic comments by Internet e-mail. To receive filing instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and should include the following words in the body of the message, "get form