On November 5, 2018, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to phone providers demanding that they respond within two weeks with their plans to implement a robust call authentication system to combat illegal caller ID…

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) recently released filing requirements for certain carriers holding international Section 214 authority, which requires that these carriers file and maintain international route lists as laid out in Section 63.22(h) of…

Each quarter, USAC releases a newsletter called the 498/499 Spotlight.  We at Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC and our affiliated consulting firm, The Commpliance Group, eagerly anticipate these newsletters, as they often contain information and guidance…

The FCC issued a notice in the Federal Register on September 19, 2018, publishing the August 15, 2018 Rural Call Completion Order that adopted rules to: establish a registry for intermediate providers; require intermediate providers…

For the first time in history, the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Universal Service Fund (“USF”) contribution factor will likely top twenty percent (20%) in the fourth quarter of 2018. The FCC’s Office of Managing Director…

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (“8th Circuit”) recently issued a controversial decision concluding that Charter’s VoIP offering qualifies as an “information service” under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (“the Act”), preempting state regulation of…

Keep Track of TCPA Developments at the FCC by Downloading Our August 2018 TCPA Compliance Monitoring Report Admittedly, ringless voicemail probably is not the final frontier for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). As long…

To all clients reporting a majority of revenue as Non-Interconnected VoIP — Our firm recently became aware of a new FCC Form 499 revenue reporting “Red Flag” that may indicate USAC will soon target certain…

Authors: Allison D. Rule, Partner and Communications Taxes & Fees Practice lead at Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC, The CommLaw Group Jacqueline R. Neff, Senior Managing Attorney Seth L. Williams, Associate Attorney In Parts I and…