Gov’s Office preparing response to the FCC regarding 911 fees; In the meantime Lolo will not attend annual IGIA

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Information is being gathered in preparation for Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga’s official response to the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) request to provide details on how American Samoa used the 9-1-1 fee charged to consumers.

Commissioner Michael O’Rielly of the FCC in a Feb. 3rd letter raised three questions for the governor to respond to, since American Samoa failed to respond to the federal agency’s  request for information for the 2019 reporting period. (See yesterday’s Samoa News for details.)

Responding to media inquiries, the governor’s executive assistant, Iulogologo Joseph Pereira said yesterday, “What is clear is that the American Samoa Government has never collected these fees as referenced in the Commissioner's letter.”

O’Rielly, in his letter, did note that American Samoa’s “2018 filing indicated that your jurisdiction does not collect 9-1-1 fees from consumers.”

Iulogologo said the Governor will be responding to O'Rielly's letter regarding the non-filing of the required report. And information is being collected to facilitate the preparation of Lolo’s response according to the contents of the Commissioner’s letter.

IGIA

Lolo will not be attending the annual federal Interagency Group on Insular Affairs (IGIA) plenary session in Washington D.C. — usually held either in mid or late February. Instead, Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga, accompanied by Commerce director, Fuiavailiili Keniseli Lafaele, will attend, said Iulogologo, who noted that the meeting agenda is primarily on discussing federal policy impediments stymieing economic development for the US territories.

He pointed out that Lolo has already written to US Interior Assistant Secretary for International and Insular Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech  “documenting impeding federal policies” such as the federal cabotage law; federal 30(A) Tax Credit; federal minimum wage mandate; US Coast Guard enforcement; sanctuaries; monuments; and others.

Lolo had planned to attend last year’s meeting but due to “health issues”, he didn’t make it to Washington D.C. but was represented by his senior staff members. Lolo’s official statement was submitted for the record and covered several federal policies impacting the territory.

He hoped that DOI as well as the White House would establish a “group or a unit” to follow-up on requests presented by the US territories during IGIA meetings. Such a move will “give us a sense that this platform is to be the springboard for positive outcomes relative to the elimination of economic development barriers … of the protectorates of the United States,” he said.