On Thursday, April 2, 2020, the Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics (“WTB/OEA”) released an Order (“Order”) granting a 30-day extension of time for filers to complete the Supply Chain Information Collection, as required by the 2019 Supply Chain Report and Order (WC Docket No. 18-89). Responses to the Information Collection are now due May 22, 2020.
As a reminder, the WCB/OEA announced in a February 2020 Public Notice that the Supply Chain Information Collection had begun and established the reporting deadline for April 22, 2020. USF recipients that were ETCs as of December 31, 2019, must file in this data collection. This information collection is mandatory for all ETCs and their subsidiaries and affiliates; ETCs that do not use equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE are required to report that they do not use such equipment or services. Other service providers that are not ETCs but may have pending designations, as well as other USF recipients who are not ETCs, may participate in the reporting on a voluntary basis but are not required to do so.
Over the past two weeks, the Rural Wireless Association (“RWA”), USTelecom, and NTCA filed letters with the Commission requesting that the WCB and OEA extend the Supply Chain Information Collection deadline due to complications arising the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, RWA asserted that the pandemic has caused its member ETCs to devote substantial time and resources to reconfiguring their networks to accommodate the increased demand for telecommunications services and that as a result, RWA members do not have enough time to complete the information collection. USTelecom and NTCA both expressed support for RWA’s letter.
The WCB/OEA finds good cause to extend the deadline given the COVID-19 pandemic and that an additional 30 days will provide enough time for ETCs to provide accurate and complete responses while still allowing the Commission to expeditiously move forward with its efforts to increase the security of the communication supply chain.
Supply Chain Information Collection reports must be filed through the portal found here.
For additional information please see previous blog post FCC Opens Supply Chain ETC Reporting Portal
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