Cable, satellite, wireless, wireline and interconnected VoIP providers could face 988 outage reporting requirements that the FCC will consider at commissioners' Jan. 26 open meeting, per a draft NPRM released Thursday. Commissioners also will consider a series of orders on rate determination rules for the rural healthcare telecom program. In the 988 draft NPRM, the FCC proposes that along with network outage reporting system requirements, covered providers would need to notify the 988 Lifeline administrator, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Veterans Administration about outages that could affect a 988 special facility. The NPRM asks whether cable, satellite, wireless, wireline and interconnected VoIP providers should be considered covered providers and required to do likewise. It also asks about what outage threshold the agency should require. The NPRM is in response to a Dec. 1 988 outage lasting several hours, it said. The series of rural health telecom program orders would rescind rules about calculating program support using a database and change the process for invoicing. It also contains an NPRM proposing a means for newly eligible health care providers to participate. The database "was deficient in its ability to set adequate rates," the draft item said, and restoring previous rural rate determination rules "is the best available option pending further examination." Applications for review of guidance on the rates database would also be dismissed as moot. A draft order would also require invoice submissions after services are provided instead of a health care provider support schedule, amend the internal cap application and "prioritize rules to promote efficiency," said a fact sheet. Also under consideration is an NPRM to revise rules for determining rural and urban rates for the telecom program and reinstate the satellite services support cap, and a proposal to make funding available to healthcare providers sooner. An Enforcement Bureau action and Media Bureau adjudicatory matter also are on the agenda.

Iridium will provide two-way messaging connectivity for Qualcomm's premium Android phones, Qualcomm said Thursday. Iridium said last week it had inked a smartphone service provider agreement (see 2301030041). Qualcomm said its Snapdragon Satellite service will allow messaging for emergency use and SMS texting. The service will start with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, with emergency messaging via Snapdragon Satellite to launch in some regions in the latter half of 2023, Qualcomm said. It said Snapdragon Satellite can expand beyond smartphones to laptops, tablets, vehicles and IoT. It also said Snapdragon Satellite will support 5G non-terrestrial networks as those constellations become available, and Garmin will support Snapdragon Satellite.

Average household income is a strong predictor of broadband costs, with subscribers in high-income states paying less on average than those in low-income states, BroadbandNow said Wednesday. That probably reflects more competition among providers in high-income areas, it said. In 10 lower-income states -- Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska and Wyoming -- less than half the population has access to a low-priced broadband plan of $50 or under per month, it said. It said Delaware, Hawaii, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., have 100% availability of such plans.

988 outages could be subject to reporting requirements similar to those for 911 outages, under a draft proposal to be voted on at the Jan. 26 FCC commissioners' meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel blogged Wednesday. Also on the agenda will be a set of proposals for the agency's rural healthcare program, an Enforcement Bureau action and Media Bureau adjudicatory matter, she said. Those 911 outage reporting rules helped the commission identify system vulnerabilities and improve its reliability, Rosenworcel said. "We want to be able to do the same" with the suicide and mental health crisis hotline, she said. The draft telehealth item would "make it easier for health care providers to receive support, reduce delays in funding commitments, and improve the program’s overall efficiency," she said.

President Joe Biden signed the FY 2023 appropriations omnibus package (HR-2617) Thursday night, formally extending the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through March 9. Capitol Hill passed the short-term reauthorization after the leaders of the House and Senate Commerce committees weren’t able to attach the Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (see 2212190069), a package of modified language from the upper chamber's version of the Spectrum Innovation Act (S-4117) and other related measures, to the omnibus. Senate Commerce leaders are divided on whether they will be able to advance the legislative package largely in its December form in the next Congress (see 2212270029). The omnibus includes increases in federal funding for the FCC, FTC, NTIA, other Commerce Department agencies, the DOJ Antitrust Division and CPB (see 2212210077).

Posing in a photograph as he shook the hand of incoming ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, outgoing Secretary-General Houlin Zhau tweeted Friday he was "pass[ing] the baton to the new leadership team."

Stir/Shaken is just getting started, but early signs are it’s helping curb illegal robocalls, the FCC said in a Friday report to Congress required by the Traced Act. “STIR/SHAKEN implementation is in its early stages,” the report said: “Voice service providers were just required to implement and begin using STIR/SHAKEN 18 months ago, with the exceptions of non-facilities based voice service providers, which were not required to implement STIR/SHAKEN until six months ago, and facilities-based small voice service providers, which will not be required to implement STIR/SHAKEN for another six months.” The data on its efficacy is “currently limited, but will increase as voice service providers’ experience with the technology and the providers using it expands.” The FCC noted it sought comment as it prepared its first triennial assessment on use of Stir/Shaken. “No commenter submitted substantive comments suggesting that the technology is itself deficient for that purpose, but some express concern that providers may be applying its technical requirements inconsistently,” the agency said. “There is general agreement in the record, however, that when applied as designed, the technology used in the STIR/SHAKEN framework effectively allows providers to identify calls with illegally spoofed caller ID information.” The technology relies on technical standards and protocols developed by ATIS, the report said: “Those commenters that express concern about the STIR/SHAKEN reaching its full potential as a tool to combat illegal spoofing generally do so on the basis that providers may be applying the standards inconsistently or incorrectly.” Comments were filed at the FCC in October (see 2210240062).

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) Thursday signed into law the nation’s first digital electronics repair legislation (S-4104/A-7006), approved by legislators in June 2206030034). Tech groups had urged a veto (see 2207060040). “This bill requires original equipment manufacturers of digital electronic products to provide materials to product owners and independent repair providers in New York to facilitate repairs,” Hochul said in her message signing the bill: “Such materials include documents like manuals and diagrams, and tools like diagnostics and parts. … As technology and smart devices become increasingly essential to the lives of New Yorkers, it is important for consumers to be able to fix the devices that they rely on in a timely fashion.” Hochul said “encouraging consumers to maximize the lifespan of their devices through repairs is a laudable goal to save money and reduce electronic waste.” The bill excludes home appliances, security alarms, motor vehicles, medical devices, farm equipment, power tools, industrial electrical equipment and e-bikes. “New York has stood up to the biggest of the big tech oligarchs and delivered a resounding blow to block their repair monopolies,” emailed Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association. Consumer Reports CEO Marta Tellado applauded the signing. “This landmark law will save New Yorkers money, provide them with more convenient repair options, and cut down on waste,” Tellado said: “When your device is broken, you should have more options than a high-priced service or the landfill.” IFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said, “New York has set a precedent for other states to follow, and I hope to see more states passing similar legislation in the near future.”

Broadcast Supply Worldwide must cease marketing RF devices that violate FCC rules or face fines of up to $22,021 per day per device, said an FCC Enforcement Bureau citation and order in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. BSW, based in Washington state, marketed devices that were capable of operating outside the FM frequency band, didn’t have permanent antennas, and lacked required labeling and user manual disclosures, said the citation. The Enforcement Bureau began investigating the matter in 2020 after a referral, the citation said. BSW has 30 days to respond to the Enforcement Bureau.

Congressional options regarding the national broadband map's preproduction draft and its accuracy include requiring an extension of the challenge process timeline for NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program allocations if Congress decides that's needed to ensure all stakeholder concerns are addressed before funds are awarded and distributed, the Congressional Research Service said Tuesday. CRS said lawmakers also could consider requiring the FCC to initiate a proceeding to get input on the resolution of map challenges. It said once the next iteration of the map gets released in mid-January, some ISPs might dispute determinations of whether particular areas are served or not. That could lead to legal action that could add time needed to resolve challenges, CRS said. It said the volume of map challenges could make it tough for the FCC to resolve in a timely manner, and that in turn could delay NTIA's planned BEAD allocations announcement by June 30.