Wiley Rein Represents Puerto Rico Telephone Company in FCC Petition for Emergency Universal Service Support

January 24, 2018

Washington, DC—On behalf of client Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC), Wiley Rein LLP has submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a $200 million emergency Universal Service fund to help restore telecommunications services in Puerto Rico. The Wiley Rein team who authored the petition on behalf of PRTC includes partner Thomas J. Navin, of counsel Edgar Class, and associate Daniel P. Brooks.

The support, if granted by the FCC, will help eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) restore telecom services in Puerto Rico, which is struggling to recover from the extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. As a result of the devastation, the majority of citizens in Puerto Rico still lack access to continuous and reliable telecommunications services, PRTC said in the petition, which was covered by Politico Pro in a January 22 article.

PRTC, the largest telecom carrier in Puerto Rico, has experienced catastrophic damage to its telecommunications infrastructure as a result the September 2017 hurricanes. In the more-than 20-year history of the Universal Service Fund, “there has never been a more urgent need for funding to restore communications services in the face of a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion,” according to the petition.

The petition can be found here.

The Politico Pro article can be found here (subscription required).