INCOMPAS NEWS -- March 13, 2017

Business and policy go hand-in-hand for the communications industry. At The INCOMPAS Show, April 3-5 in New Orleans, you can learn about government programs for fiber and infrastructure providers, as well as ways to support your company's growth through opportunities offered by federal universal service programs.

On Monday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m., Andrew Lipman, senior partner at Morgan Lewis will lead " New Revenue Opportunities and Strategic Infrastructure Initiatives for Competitive Fiber Providers." During this session, he will provide insight into opportunities that are available to fiber and infrastructure providers by various federal government programs. He also will discuss what's on the horizon under FCC Chairman Pai, Congressional activity on an infrastructure bill and M&A opportunities presented by prior grant programs for fiber builds.

Then on Tuesday, April 4, at 2:10 p.m., hear from Steven Augustino, partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, who will discuss " Business Opportunities in the Federal Universal Service Program." This session will provide information on ways to use the $8.5 billion federal universal service programs to support business growth. He will cover the FCC's four Universal Service programs, including Connect America Fund's upcoming auctions for fixed and mobile providers, E-Rate, Lifeline and Rural Healthcare programs. He also will discuss eligibility requirements, as well as the ins and outs associated with utilizing these funds to support business expansion.

These sessions are part of The INCOMPAS Show's robust agenda, featuring a keynote address by Kenny Gunderman, president and CEO of Uniti Group Inc., and business-focused sessions and panel discussions on strategies for buyers, NFV, edge data services, small cells, cyber security and M&A trends.

Register today! There are a number of options you can choose from: Full Conference, which includes all activities; Single Day access on Tuesday, April 4 or Wednesday, April 5; and a Networking pass to attend only networking receptions throughout the show.

Please note: To qualify for member rates, all companies must have renewed their membership for 2017.

Make Your Hotel Reservations Today!

By registering now, you also can secure your hotel reservation and benefit from the INCOMPAS preferred rate of $239 per night at our host hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (just 256 steps from the Morial Convention Center). Attendees will receive a link for housing reservations in their registration confirmation email. Discounted rates are limited and only available to registered conference attendees, so book soon!

Attendees staying at the Hilton also receive a number of other bonuses, such as:

Fitness Center passes for the entirety of their stay (Value - $12 per day)
High-speed internet (Value - $10 per day)
50 percent off parking (Value - approximately $50)

FCC Announces Upcoming
LNPA Transition Events

The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau announced upcoming Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) transition outreach and education events hosted by the NAPM Transition Oversight Manager (TOM) for the LNPA transition.

March 15, 2017, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. EDT - The TOM will host the 14th LNPA Transition Outreach and Education Plan (TOEP) webcast. Interested parties may register here to attend the webcast. One week prior to the webcast, the agenda will be published on the LNPA Transition tab of the napmllc.org website. LNPA Transition-related links and documents, including content from the previous TOEP webcasts, may also be accessed through the Reference Document tab on the website.
April 4 and 5 at The INCOMPAS Show, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. CDT - The TOM also invites you to its meeting room at The INCOMPAS Show, which is being held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Stakeholders can stop by Meeting Room 2 on the show floor, to share perspectives and ask questions about the LNPA transition. To get more information, or have your questions answered, register to attend The INCOMPAS Show.

President Trump Renominates
Ajit Pai to Serve as FCC Chair

Last week, President Trump renominated FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to serve another five-year term at the agency.

"I am deeply honored to have been nominated by President Trump to serve a second term on the Federal Communications Commission," said Pai. "If I am fortunate to be confirmed by the Senate, I will continue to work with my colleagues to connect all Americans with digital opportunity, foster innovation, protect consumers, promote public safety and make the FCC more open and transparent to the American people."

Form 477 Deadline: March 24

The FCC's Form 477 filing interface has been reopened and the new filing deadline for Form 477 data as of Dec. 31, 2016, is March 24, 2017.

Filers who submitted their Form 477 filings prior to the closing of the site on Feb. 22, 2017 do not need to take any further action; those filings remain in "Submitted" status. In addition, filers who started the filing process prior to the closing of the site do not need to re-upload any files or re-enter any records provided previously and should see those data after logging in to the interface.

Senate Commerce Committee Holds FCC Oversight Hearing

On March 8, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing entitled " Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission." Witnesses were FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O'Rielly. The archived webcast, statements and witnesses testimony can be found on the committee website.

Verizon will host its second Rural Call Completion Industry Workshop on Wednesday, March 29 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC).

The workshop will include an overview and discussion of investigative activities into rural call completion issues, and a presentation by Dr. Eric Burger of Georgetown University on research he has completed about the issue.

If you would like to attend, you must register no later than Wednesday, March 15. To register, email your name, title, company and email address to
[email protected].