The Guam Public Utilities Commission voted on Aug. 28 to certify several telecommunications providers’ use of federal universal service funds, approving administrative law judge recommendations that the companies had met federal and local documentation requirements.

The certifications are required under the Communications Act and the FCC’s rules implementing section 254(e), which restrict how universal service funds may be used. The PUC considered petitions and ALJ reports for Docomo Pacific, Teleguam/Guam Telephone Authority (GTA), and Pulse Mobile (a Teleguam business unit). PTI Pacifica Inc.’s petition was filed late and was deferred to next month.

PUC staff summarized each petition and the required five‑year build plans that describe how federal high‑cost support will be used. For Docomo Pacific, the ALJ found a submitted plan (2025–2029) showing fiber‑to‑the‑home expansion and redundant loops and recommended certification. For GTA and Pulse Mobile, staff reported sealed five‑year plans and certifications by each company’s chief operating officer, Andrew M. Gale Jr., that federal high‑cost support will be used only for eligible network provision, maintenance and upgrades. The ALJ recommended certification for those petitions as well.

Commissioners moved and voted on the petitions individually. The record shows motions to approve the DOCOMO docket and the GTA/Pulse Mobile dockets; the motions carried. PTI’s petition was not acted on and will appear on the PUC agenda next month because it was filed late.

The ALJ reports cited no outages, no outstanding unfulfilled service requests for 2024, and no complaints filed with the PUC or federal regulators for the companies covered. The PUC will sign the certification letters that accompany each approval.

Votes at a glance:
- Docomo Pacific (docket 2501) — motion to approve; outcome: approved. (See transcript entries for the DOCOMO petition and the approving motion.)
- GTA (docket 2501) — motion to approve; outcome: approved. (Sealed 5‑year plan; COO certification by Andrew M. Gale Jr.)
- Pulse Mobile (GTA business; docket 2502) — motion to approve; outcome: approved. (Plan focused on wireless backhaul and 5G site expansion.)
- PTI Pacifica Inc. — petition filed late; deferred to next month; no PUC action tonight.

The PUC’s written orders will adopt the ALJ reports and staff recommendations and include the formal certification letters required for USAC.