Acting on its own motion, the FCC today waived on a one-time basis its rules regarding the Rural Health Care universal service support mechanism to enable “service providers in remote Alaska to reduce the cost of service to affected HCPs,” or health-care providers.

Specifically, the Commission waived its “support calculation rules that would otherwise be triggered by a reduction in service price” and waived “any other requirement, to the extent necessary, in these special circumstances to effectuate the relief granted, including restrictions on ineligible sources of funding, certification requirements, pro-ration requirement to the extent any interpretation of that rule might suggest the need to pro-rate the newly lowered price, and restrictions on evergreen contracts.”

Courtesy TRDaily