An NTIA policy change to make it easier for internet service providers to obtain bank letters of credit so they can participate in the BEAD program will take effect Aug. 24, mimicking a similar policy change at the FCC. The FCC adopted an order in December (see 2412110050) dropping the requirement that banks qualified to issue such letters of credit have a minimum safety rating under the Weiss rating system, requiring only that they be “well capitalized.” An NTIA waiver update released late last month mirrors the FCC policy for the BEAD program, and takes effect at the same time as the FCC rule change. In addition, NTIA will allow financial institutions rated as safe by ratings organizations recognized by the SEC to issue letters of credit for the BEAD program, the update said.

The subsea cable license order adopted at the FCC's August meeting (see 2508070037) differs materially from the draft order regarding presumptions that disqualify an applicant from receiving a license. The 214-page, finalized version of the order was released Wednesday.

Comments are due Sept. 12, replies Oct. 14, on an Intrepid petition asking the FCC to preempt a contract that Cottage Grove, Minnesota, has with another provider for deployment of fiber optic infrastructure there, an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice said in Thursday's Daily Digest. The docket is 25-248. In its petition earlier this month, Intrepid said the city had granted another provider exclusive access to the city's right of way (ROW) and was denying Intrepid's pending applications. It said the city had argued Intrepid is a broadband internet service provider and not entitled to use the public ROW under the Communications Act or state law.

Spirent Communications, which offers testing and assurance solutions, announced a partnership Wednesday with Telescent, which builds optical circuit switches and automated fiber patch panels for network and data center operators.

The FCC's new submarine cable rules, adopted earlier this month (see 2508070037), ostensibly are about national security but really carry a "distinct scent of economic opportunism," Satmarin Exoflux's Michael de Coninck wrote Tuesday. "The official pitch is simple: stop China, Russia, and other uninvited guests from sneaking into U.S.-connected infrastructure," the maritime connectivity expert said. But "the unofficial pitch" is giving U.S. firms an easier route to contracts "without having to suffer the indignity of competing with cheaper foreign bids."

The FCC Wireline Bureau delayed the filing deadline for 2025 incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS) annual reports and certifications from Sept. 15 to Nov. 3. The requirements were broadly laid out in last July’s IPCS order (see 2407180039). The bureau has already delayed some IPCS compliance deadlines until April 1, 2027 (see 2507310049). The bureau said it was acting on its own motion.

Comments are due Aug. 25, replies Sept. 1., on Declaration Networks Group's proposed purchase of Procom, the FCC Wireline Bureau said Monday. Procom offers competitive local exchange, interexchange and other communications services in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio, while DNG provides competitive communications services in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington state, it said.

GCI agreed to pay a $10,000 fine for having an expired submarine cable landing license for its Alaska United East subsea cable system, according to an FCC Enforcement Bureau order in Monday's Daily Digest.

In a potential win for prisoners and their families, the FCC Wireline Bureau on Monday asked for comment on an application for review of a bureau order delaying some incarcerated people’s communications service deadlines until April 1, 2027 (see 2507310049). Supporters of the application said when they filed it that the bureau wasn't required by law to seek comment. Oppositions are due Aug. 29, replies Sept.15. All filings must refer to dockets 23-62 and 12-375, the bureau said.

The FCC Office of International Affairs has approved licenses for Google's Starfish to construct and operate a pair of Pacific submarine cable systems. Its Proa cable system will connect Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to Japan, the agency said in a public notice Friday, while the Taihei cable system will link Hawaii and Japan.