FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION DIVISION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS September 1999
The purpose of this project is to evaluate whether basic local exchange service
should include access to broadband services. Section 706 of the Telecommunications
Act of 1996 mandates the Florida Public Service Commission to encourage the deployment
of advanced telecommunications capability to all Floridians in a reasonable and
timely fashion. With the rapid increase in the use of the Internet and the resulting
demand for faster transmission speeds, staff examined the issues surrounding broadband
access. Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) are in the beginning stages of deploying
broadband services in Florida through the use of xDSL technologies.
Based upon information provided by the LECs, staff believes that 60% of the wire
centers in Florida are not currently capable of providing xDSL services. Until the
LECs are further along with the deployment of this capability, no redefinition of
local exchange service should be considered. Ultimately, access to xDSL services
depends upon the implementation of the Carrier Serving Area (CSA) concept which
categorizes local loops by length, gauge and subscriber distribution in order to
determine how a specific geographic area can best be served. The CSA concept is
used by LECs in Florida when provisioning outside plant facilities. Consequently,
as LECs incorporate the CSA model in their outside plant facilities, the average
data rate available to consumers will rise to 56 Kbps (which will provide access
to broadband services). Furthermore, there should be no major differences between
provisioning rural and urban areas. However, economic considerations will impact
the deployment of xDSL services and staff should continue to monitor the situation
to determine whether a redefinition of basic service might be appropriate in the
future.
It should be noted that states are preparing and passing legislation to promote
access to the Internet. The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill (Senate Bill 622)
whereby a "Telecommunications Infrastructure Account" would be established to be
funded by the telecommunication carriers that opt out of rate of return regulation.
This account would be used (upon approval by the State) for "projects that provide
increased bandwidth between communities, route diversity and access to advanced
communications services in an expedited manner." The Georgia Legislature has approved
a Universal Access Fund and has begun implementing plans to provide broadband access
to all citizens of the state. The telecommunications industry in Florida feels that
the market should drive the deployment of broadband services and intervention by
the Commission is not necessary at this time.
This report is an initial step in assessing the status of deployment of advanced
telecommunications (broadband) services and subscriber demand within Florida. As
part of staff's service quality evaluation procedures, tests of subscriber loops
to measure data transmission rates will be conducted in order to calculate an average
data transmission rate for a wire center. This will provide the Commission with
a "snap shot" of how the LECs are progressing in provisioning for broadband access.