USTelecom, NTCA and the Competitive Carriers Association defended a directive in Section 254 of the Telecom Act that the FCC preserve and advance universal service, in a pleading Friday in response to a challenge by Consumers’ Research to the broader USF program (see 2110050056). “Under the Supreme Court’s approach for reviewing nondelegation challenges, Section 254 falls well within constitutional bounds,” the groups told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: “Section 254 prescribes far more detailed directions than other statutes that have repeatedly been upheld by the Supreme Court over the past century. Even under a more searching standard -- which could be adopted only by the Supreme Court -- Section 254 still would pass constitutional muster.”
OMB approved for three years information collection for the FCC's June 2021 911 fee diversion order, says a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register (see 2108170066). The notice takes effect Wednesday.
The FCC should consider requiring "large edge companies" to contribute to the Universal Service Fund, Joan Marsh, AT&T executive vice president-federal regulatory relations, blogged Friday. "If we want the USF to have a strong broadband future, it's time to ask these entities to contribute to the support of our collective universal broadband goals, Marsh wrote, saying the FCC shouldn't stop at including only broadband internet access service providers. Marsh said the FCC's recent announcement that the USF Q3 contribution factor will be 33% is a "dramatic increase" from the previous quarter and the factor will continue to grow as revenue declines (see 2206100058).
Americans are largely unaware of the three-digit code for calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 988, per a National Alliance on Mental Illness poll released Thursday. It said 77% of those surveyed are unaware of 988, slightly less than the 81% in its October 2021 polling. Majorities of those surveyed support funding 988 services via taxes, while there was less support for it being funded solely through fees on subscribers' phone bills. The poll was done by Ipsos, with results based on 2,045 interviews with adults in May. July 16 is the deadline for 988 to go live nationwide.
The FCC broadband data task force scheduled a webinar previewing the broadband data collection system for June 29 at 2 p.m. EDT, said a Wireline Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 19-195. The webinar will "familiarize filers with how to navigate the BDC system and how to submit their data once the window opens" June 30.
Representatives of Entergy and the Edison Electric Institute updated aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr on the electric industry’s work with carriers. “EEI discussed ways that the Commission can help to improve outcomes for consumers, such as to encourage early coordination between the communications providers and state and local authorities, as well as to encourage the Commission’s jurisdictional entities to participate in Emergency Operations Centers,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-346: The two “discussed the value of engagement with telecommunications providers and other trade associations in the Cross Sector Resiliency Forum to improve and refine disaster planning, response, and recovery.”
The FCC authorized support for 513 more winning Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I bidders, said a public notice Tuesday in docket 19-126 (see 2205260046). Aristotle Unified Communications, 4 IP Technology and Media, Cable One VoIP, Conexon, Hawkins Information Technology and Wisper ISP were among the authorized bidders. The FCC also identified some Conexon bids in default.
Smith Bagley asked the FCC to extend Lifeline's document requirements for reverification, recertification, general de-enrollment, and income for subscribers in rural areas on tribal lands, said a petition posted Thursday in docket 11-42. The Wireline Bureau previously extended its waiver of the requirements until June 30 (see 2203250065). Smith Bagley requested an extension through Sept. 30, saying "thousands of subscribers" are at risk of de-enrollment. Arizona's Department of Economic Security backed the extension and said the national verifier "lacks connectivity to critical program participation data" in the state. The department said "many Arizona families would lose their Lifeline-supported voice and broadband services" absent the extension.
The FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council scheduled the fourth meeting in its current cycle June 15, starting at 1 p.m. EDT, says a notice for Friday’s Federal Register. The meeting will be virtual.
The Rural Utilities Service "set the bar high" on round three of the ReConnect program and is "digging deep" into the applicant pool, said acting Administrator Chris McLean during a livestreamed Broadband Breakfast event Wednesday (see 2110220040). McLean said most of the applications were to serve at least 100/100 Mbps speeds with fiber. "We really can't have a connected nation unless we have high quality bandwidth in rural areas," he said.