4 DA 18-825 Released: August 7, 2018 WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES STAGE 1 RESTORATION FUNDING FOR THE UNIENDO A PUERTO RICO FUND AND THE CONNECT USVI FUND WC Docket Nos. 18-143, 10-90 In the PR-USVI Fund Order, the Commission made available $64.2 million in Stage 1 funding to providers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to restore voice and broadband service in the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes. The Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund, Order and NPRM, WC Docket Nos. 18-143, 10-90, 14-58, FCC 18-57 at paras. 13-27 (May 29, 2018) (PR-USVI Fund Order). The Commission established the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund with $51.2 million and the Connect USVI Fund with $13 million in Stage 1 funding to cover the immediate short-term costs of restoring and maintaining service for existing facilities-based providers across the islands. Id. at paras. 13-15. In this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces the Stage 1 funding allocations for qualifying providers. PR-USVI Fund Order at para. 18. See Attachments A and B. Pursuant to the direction in the PR-USVI Fund Order, 13 providers elected to receive Stage 1 funding by submitting a certification with evidence of the number of subscribers served as of June 30, 2017. Id. at para. 16. Of the elections received, only nine providers certified subscriber counts for Puerto Rico, only three providers certified subscriber counts for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and only one provider certified subscriber counts in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See PRWireless Certification (filed June 27, 2018); Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Inc. Certification (filed June 26, 2018); WorldNet Certification (filed June 27, 2018); ATN Certification (certifying subscriber counts for Viya, Viya Wireless, and Choice Communications) (filed June 27, 2018); BroadbandVI Certification (filed June 27, 2018); Critical Hub Networks Certification (filed June 26, 2018); Data@access Certification (filed June 27, 2018); Liberty Cablevision Certification (filed June 26, 2018); Neptuno Media, Inc. Certification (filed June 27, 2018); T-Mobile USA, Inc. Certification (filed June 25, 2018); VPNet, Inc. Certification (filed June 27, 2018); LAN Communications Certification (filed June 24, 2018); AT&T Certification (filed June 26, 2018) (certifying 477 data for both Puerto Rico and USVI). The allocations announced in Attachments A and B are based on the subscriber counts certified by those filings and validated by the providers’ FCC Form 477 data. PR-USVI Fund Order at para. 18. As directed in the PR-USVI Fund Order, we allocate 60 percent of the funding available to fixed network operators and 40 percent to mobile network operators in each of the territories. PR-USVI Fund Order at para. 17. We grant PRWireless’ request for exception with respect to its subscriber count as of June 30, 2017. Specifically, while PRWireless certifies to its June 30, 2017 FCC Form 477 voice and broadband subscriber numbers, PRWireless asserts that because of a transaction with Sprint on November 15, 2017, it now serves approximately 80 percent more customers than it did as of June 30, 2017. PRWireless PR, LLC Certification, at 2-5. PRWireless identifies both facilities and numbers for prepaid and post-paid subscribers it acquired and is responsible for managing as a result of this transaction with Sprint. Id. PRWireless argues that allowing the additional subscribers is in the public interest, because the associated support is better proportioned to the size of the network that PRWireless now operates and must restore. Id. at 5-7. Sprint supports the request and certified to the accuracy of the subscriber data. See id. at 5, Exhibit B. Commission staff reviewed and validated these numbers against the FCC Form 477 data for both PRWireless d/b/a Open Mobile and Sprint, and we agree that allowing this exception to include the additional subscribers is in the public interest. We allocate the Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund mobile support accordingly. We direct the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to disburse the allocated funding to the authorized eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) identified in Attachments A and B from the high-cost cash account. As stated in the PR-USVI Fund Order, before receiving funding each provider must be designated an ETC by the relevant commission and submit that designation to the USAC. PR-USVI Fund Order at para. 19. Therefore, we also conditionally authorize USAC to disburse the allocated funding to the conditionally authorized providers identified in Attachments A and B, subject to obtaining an ETC designation and submitting it to USAC. We remind all conditionally authorized providers that if a provider has not been designated an ETC by October 9, 2018, it will not receive the allocated funds, and we reserve the right to redirect that provider’s allocation toward other universal service purposes, such as increasing the funding available for long-term rebuilding of voice and broadband-capable networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Id. All providers must remain an ETC for at least one year after first receiving funding. Id. Lastly, we remind all providers that carriers receiving federal universal service support “shall use that support only for the provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the support is intended.” 47 U.S.C. § 254(e); 47 CFR § 54.7(a). As such, carriers must use this funding to help restore and improve coverage and service quality to pre-hurricane levels and to help safeguard their equipment against future natural disasters, as described in the PR-USVI Fund Order. PR-USVI Fund Order at para. 20. For additional information on this proceeding, contact Rebekah Douglas (Rebekah.Douglas@fcc.gov) of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, (202) 418-7931. - FCC - Attachment A UNIENDO A PUERTO RICO FUND - STAGE 1 ALLOCATIONS Table 1a: Authorized Fixed Providers Provider Funding Allocation PRTC $16,420,007.63 WorldNet $1,303,987.09 TOTAL $17,723,994.72 Table 1b: Conditionally Authorized Fixed Providers These providers must submit evidence of ETC designation to USAC within 60 days of release of this Public Notice. Provider Funding Allocation AT&T $1,648,568.86 Critical Hub $36,347.72 Data@ccess $138,409.98 Liberty Cablevision $11,091,659.89 Neptuno $41,919.02 T-Mobile $302.06 VPNet $38,797.75 TOTAL $12,996,005.28 Table 2a: Authorized Mobile Providers Provider Funding Allocation AT&T $7,292,183.58 PRTC $5,708,588.06 PRWireless PR, LLC $3,038,096.89 T-Mobile $4,441,131.47 TOTAL $20,480,000 Attachment B CONNECT USVI FUND - STAGE 1 ALLOCATIONS Table 3a: Authorized Fixed Providers Provider Funding Allocation Virgin Islands Telephone Corporation dba Viya (ATN) $6,865,849.50 TOTAL $6,865,849.50 Table 3b: Conditionally Authorized Fixed Providers These providers must submit evidence of ETC designation to USAC within 60 days of release of this Public Notice. Provider Funding Allocation AT&T $2,742.89 BroadbandVI $931,211.69 LAN Communications $195.92 TOTAL $934,150.50 Table 4a: Authorized Mobile Providers Provider Funding Allocation AT&T $4,719,925.74 Choice Communications, LLC (ATN) $353,497.88 TOTAL $5,073,423.62 Table 4b: Conditionally Authorized Mobile Providers This provider must submit evidence of ETC designation to USAC within 60 days of release of this Public Notice. Provider Funding Allocation Vitelcom Cellular, Inc. dba Viya Wireless (ATN) $126,576.38 TOTAL $126,576.38