The FCC wants comments by Feb. 13, replies by Feb. 28, in docket 17-84 on a Further NPRM concerning pole attachment applications and make-ready work, a notice for Thursday's Federal Register said. Commissioners adopted the item in December (see 2312130044). It seeks comment on proposed steps making the pole attachment process more efficient and resolving disputes that may delay broadband deployment.
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau granted Global Caption conditional certification for two years as an IP captioned telephone service provider on a fully automatic basis in carceral facilities. Conditional certification was contained in an order posted Thursday in docket 03-123. In a separate order, the bureau granted Nagish conditional certification as IP CTS provider for two years.
The FCC wants comments by Jan. 29, replies by Feb. 27, in docket 23-234 on an NPRM seeking to establish a schools and libraries cybersecurity pilot program, said a notice for Friday's Federal Register. Commissioners adopted the item in November (see 2311130062).
The National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) raised concerns in response to comments filed on an FCC inquiry about whether the agency should extend certain robocall rules to all voice service providers (see 2309110060). “In reviewing the overall record in the proceeding, many Comments and Reply Comments stated mixed views about the effects of the FCC’s proposals if implemented with no changes in the current environment,” said a filing posted last week in docket 17-59. “In particular, most Commenters did not support making network-based call-blocking analytics mandatory and many expressed concerns or at the very least acknowledged that existing analytics’ erroneous blocking of legitimate, legal calls poses a serious unresolved problem for callers that is harmful to the public as well,” NORC said: “The record demonstrates a consensus from callers and even carriers themselves that making carrier-based call blocking mandatory under the current circumstances would be problematic.”
The Utility Reform Network and Public Knowledge urged the FCC to act on pending petitions for reconsideration. In a meeting with Commissioner Anna Gomez and staff, the groups said their joint petition for declaratory ruling on Title II classification of interconnected VoIP services would "allow the commission to better address interconnection and call quality issues, ensure competition and affordable access, and establish firmer legal authority" (see 2203020052), according to an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 19-308. They also backed Title II classification of short messaging service. In addition, the groups sought action on Sonic Telecom's 2021 petition for reconsideration of portions of the FCC's reverse unbundling network elements rules, saying "continued access by [competitive LECs] to dark fiber and DS0 loops is crucial for deploying fiber to the home" (see 2210170079).
Consumer and healthcare organizations encouraged the FCC to use its broadband availability map and affordability programs to expand access and improve maternal health outcomes (see 2311210074). "In order to make sure that women are able to access the health information they need, the commission’s imperative to bridge the digital divide and provide broadband to as many Americans as possible has become increasingly urgent as demand for these services is only growing," the Consumer Technology Association said in reply comments posted Wednesday in docket 23-309. Digital health "may be the solution to lower barriers typically barring women from accessing care they may desire," the group added. The FCC should continue its efforts to expand access to broadband in "rural, low-income, and other particularly vulnerable patient populations," the Virginia Telehealth Network said. "Broadband access can play a role in the improvement of pregnancy-related [maternal and infant] health," said the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The group recommended that the FCC's maternal health and broadband platform include a broader range of pregnancy-related health indicators.
The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics said Wednesday they completed their review of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction long-form applications. A public notice in docket 19-126 said 379 support recipients were authorized to receive a total of more than $6 billion in winning bids, covering "just under 3.5 million locations in 48 states and territories." The bureaus also made long-form applications viewable through an application search tool on the agency's auction web page.
The FCC extended a waiver on rules for video relay services funded by the Telecom Relay Services Fund in an order posted Wednesday in docket 03-123 (see 2301100081). The commission increased from 50% to 80% the portion of monthly VRS minutes a communications assistant (CA) may work at home, reduced for 30 days the experience requirement from three years to one year for CAs working at home, and allowed providers for 30 days to contract interpretation services for "up to 30% of their monthly call minutes."
Sorenson on Monday asked the FCC to direct Telecom Relay Fund administrator Rolka Loube to withdraw its monthly data collection request. Rolka Loube requested in a notice that video relay service providers submit monthly information on "expense data with respect to interpreter wages, research and development, numbering, and field staff expenses," Sorenson said in a letter in docket 03-123. The company didn't reject submitting this information on an annual basis as the commission already established but said a monthly collection "will impose a significant burden on Sorenson, and, presumably, on the other VRS providers."
The FCC committed more than $450,000 in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Thursday. The new funding will support applications from the third filing window, connecting about 1,000 students, a news release said.