WTA opposed a request from a coalition of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction winners that the FCC grant additional support to winning bidders, in a letter posted Friday in docket 19-126 (see 2306210066). "An obvious gaming danger is the use of a 'strategy' of making support bids as unreasonably low as necessary in order to 'win' specific service areas, and then coming back to the commission later for the additional support that is actually needed to construct and operate the promised broadband networks in such areas," WTA said. The group warned the coalition's request would "give rise to significant issues with respect to the RDOF default penalties that have previously been assessed," saying RDOF winners that have been fined or paid default penalties "may argue that they would not have defaulted if they had received supplemental support or relaxed terms and conditions like those proposed by the coalition."
The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics adopted the 2023 mandatory data collection for incarcerated people's communications services in an order Wednesday in docket 12-375. Among the changes are "modifying the treatment of video IPCS and safety and security measures" and clarifying reporting requirements for site commissions and revising certain proposed definitions.
The FCC committed nearly $55 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Wednesday. The new funding will support 130 schools and school districts, 12 libraries and library systems, and four consortiums from the third filing window, per a news release. “As students head back to classrooms in the fall, we need to make sure they have the digital tools to prepare for success in the upcoming school year," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
The FCC adopted an order establishing an enhanced alternative connect America cost model (ACAM) program that provides USF high-cost support for carriers that deploy services of at least 100/20 Mbps to all unserved locations served by the program. "To meet the needs of consumers today and into the future, we are optimizing the commission’s programs to bring higher speeds and greater bandwidth to consumers, particularly those living in hard-to-reach areas," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a Monday news release. Rosenworcel circulated the proposal in June (see 2306160042). Also adopted was a notice of inquiry and NPRM that would seek comment on additional revisions to the legacy rate-of-return system.
The minimum service standard for Lifeline fixed broadband data usage allowance will be 1,280 GB per month, beginning Dec. 1, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Friday in docket 11-42. The bureau extended its waiver pausing the increase in minimum service standards for mobile broadband data capacity until Dec. 1, 2024 (see 2307070056). It also announced the indexed budget for calendar year 2024 will be $2.78 million.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel should act quickly to raise video relay service rates before July 31, said Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, in a letter Wednesday. “I urge the FCC to adopt updated rates this month, and in doing so, account for inflation since the last rate setting,” Lujan said. “Providers cannot afford another year, let alone another quarter, of stagnant reimbursement levels despite rising costs.” VRS providers have face record high inflation and the FCC hasn’t set new rates since 2017, the letter said. The “frozen rates” left VRS providers “struggling” to raise rates for their interpreters and limited their ability to improve their technology to keep pace with advancements in E911 and videoconferencing, Lujan said. “There are roughly 3000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in New Mexico, and approximately 10 million across the United States,” said the letter. “These Americans deserve the same access to these lifeline services as everyone else.” The FCC received and is reviewing the letter, an agency spokesperson told us.
The FCC fined Westel $400,000 for apparently failing to file annual and quarterly telecom reporting worksheets and failing to respond fully to an Enforcement Bureau letter of inquiry on compliance. Westel "failed repeatedly to file or to file on time a total of 14 worksheets," said the order, released Thursday. Westel didn't comment.
The Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND) asked the FCC to adopt its proposed enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model, in separate meetings with aides to all commissioners. The group backed continued support for the Connect America Fund broadband loop support, saying it would "secure long-term financial certainty for broadband operators in North Dakota," per an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90. BAND also raised concerns about "a potential loss in funding to rural broadband operators in existing ACAM areas" if the FCC designates certain fixed wireless providers as “unsubsidized competitors,” adding there are "seemingly overstated fixed wireless speeds and coverage areas" in the FCC’s broadband map.
The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics identified five Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction bids by Wavelength in default Tuesday. An order said Wavelength's bids are in default and subject to forfeiture because the provider "has been unable to obtain an [eligible telecom carrier] designation covering its winning bid areas in California" in order to be authorized for support. The bureaus also dismissed as moot LTD Broadband's request to waive the deadline to submit documentation of ETC designation in South Dakota. The order cited the FCC's denial of LTD's long-form application and said the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission's denial of the company's ETC application "makes LTD’s petition for waiver moot" (see 2210110054).
ClearCaptions urged the FCC to update its operating margin for video relay services and IP captioned telephone services funded by the Telecom Relay Services Fund based on "more comparable companies and recent data." A "cost-plus-percentage of 16% to 21% above all real costs represents a reasonable range for the commission's VRS and IP CTS ratemaking," it told Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau staff, the Office of Managing Director, and Office of Economics and Analytics staff, per an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 03-123. The record shows providers "support updating the operating margin," ClearCaptions said: "The 7.6% to 12.35% operating margin the commission relies on is outdated and the industry has changed so that the companies used to establish the operating margin are no longer comparable."