Resolution Stirs up Thoughts on USF-Related Merger Conditions
Are recently-merged Internet service providers meeting their various public interest commitments to deploy broadband and increase adoption? We know that Comcast is certainly working hard, with great fanfare, to offer broadband to low-income households for $10 per month—this was indeed a merger commitment, not a “warm fuzzy” gift to the public. Comcast’s required move into affordable broadband for low-income households has been applauded by FCC Chairman Genachowski, who also recently unveiled the FCC’s low-income broadband initiative Connect to Compete. Now, many other large cable providers are jumping on the $10 per month broadband bandwagon—including companies who are not obliged to do so due to a merger condition.
Comcast’s slightly fulsome, PR-friendly efforts aside; are other recently merged telecom providers (large and small, cable and DSL, wireless and wired) meeting their merger conditions to deploy broadband to rural, low-income and other unserved populations? The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is concerned that “some commitments to deploy additional broadband infrastructure made to secure merger approvals are not being fully met.”
On November 16, 2011, NARUC approved a resolution to “Request that the [FCC] undertake a public inquiry to assess the extent to which public interest broadband deployment and adoption obligations imposed on previously approved merger applicants are being met.” NARUC’s Resolution on Accountability for FCC Imposed Merger Public Interest Commitments to Deploy Broadband Infrastructure and Adoption Programs recognizes that the FCC can (and often does) impose obligations that merged companies increase broadband adoption and deployment, sometimes with an aggressive deadline. The resolution also recognizes that the FCC can require merged companies to use private capital to meet these obligations, “without reliance on federal Universal Service Fund (USF) financial support.”
This resolution stirs up some interesting, and slightly touchy, ideas about whether the FCC should prevent merged companies from receiving USF post-merger to meet public interest requirements. According to the NARUC resolution, “Some carriers have made voluntary public interest commitments to deploy broadband infrastructure on the basis that USF financial support would enable them to satisfy the FCC approved merger obligation and the FCC has approved those commitments.”
NARUC resolved “That the FCC consider, on a case-by-case basis whether to approve the use of federal financial support from the Connect America Fund or the Mobility Fund for expenses related to supplementing an applicant’s public interest obligations in the FCC order approving such applicant’s merger to deploy broadband infrastructure and/or to implement broadband adoption and usage programs.”
On one hand, two companies’ demonstrated need for USF to deploy broadband in rural areas is not likely to change significantly just by a merger. Their service area’s geography and demographics certainly don’t change due to a merger, and the reasons that small companies decide to merge are diverse and not always just because one company has a stockpile of cash. The addition of a lofty build-out commitment may make the case for needing USF even stronger, especially for capital-strapped rural carriers. On the other hand, one can’t help but think that if companies have enough money to afford a merger, then perhaps they should use that money to pay for broadband deployment. This argument may apply more strongly to large companies, for example AT&T. It would be hard to argue that AT&T should be allowed to receive Mobility Fund support if the T-Mobile merger is approved—which will quite likely include major rural deployment conditions (if it is approved by the FCC, that is—a big if!).
Whether companies should receive CAF or Mobility Fund support to help finance merger commitments is probably best determined on a case-by-case basis, like NARUC recommends. A blanket restriction on support may serve as a significant deterrent for small companies who wish to merge—which might be the exact opposite of what the FCC wants. The FCC has repeatedly dropped hints throughout the USF Reform proceeding that it wishes to encourage RLEC consolidation, so tactically speaking the FCC probably would consider taking a cautious approach to restricting support. Furthermore, the FCC is strongly committed to improving rural and low-income broadband deployment and adoption, so a merger obligation to extend services in low ROI areas without any federal support seems contradictory.
Then there is Connect to Compete, which adds a layer of complexity to the USF-or-no-USF merger condition debate. National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) members will offer eligible, school-lunch program families two years of cable broadband service for $9.95 per month with no installation, activation or modem rental fees. This program apparently will enable 15-25 million Americans to have high-speed broadband, but keep in mind this is in large cable company territory. Whether Connect to Compete will extend into RLEC territory is unknown at this point, but it is definitely an issue to watch. RLECs competing with Connect to Compete cable participants might encounter some challenges with retaining their low-income consumers.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the FCC takes up the NARUC-approved challenge to conduct on inquiry into how well companies are meeting merger commitments and if they should be using CAF/Mobility Fund support to meet said merger commitments. Are these various market and regulatory forces a deterrent for RLEC mergers? What do you think about merged companies using CAF or Mobility Fund support to help finance broadband deployment and adoption requirements?
The NARUC resolution is available here, on pages 7-8.