The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comments by March 28, replies April 27, in docket 21-455 on an NPRM proposing to adopt a central online portal for E-rate's competitive bidding process, said Thursday's Federal Register (see 2112160080). Commissioners approved the item in December.

The FCC Wireline Bureau approved $47.9 million in COVID-19 telehealth program funding for 100 applicants Wednesday, bringing the total to $256.4 million, said a public notice in docket 20-89. It's the sixth and final set of funding announcements for round two of the program. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel praised bureau staffers for "their dedication to this program that has made such an impact on our nation’s doctors, nurses, and their patients."

Conexon withdrew its petition for waiver to default on certain Rural Digital Opportunity Phase I auction bids it provisionally won in Colorado on tribal lands, said a letter Tuesday in docket 19-126 (see 2106090065). The FCC's "inaction is unnecessarily hurting rural communities ... desperately in need of high-speed broadband services," Conexon said. The company met with Colorado Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Wireline Bureau staff, and an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel Friday to discuss its pending petition for eligible telecom carrier designation. Previous funding concerns by tribes due to Conexon's award appear "to have been rendered moot" because the tribes were able to obtain support to construct broadband networks.

Mediacom's petition for FCC preemption of a conduit network arrangement between Google Fiber and West Des Moines, Iowa, (see 2110080031) is withdrawn, with the sides having settled the issues, the FCC Wireline Bureau ordered Tuesday in docket 21-217.

The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comments by Feb. 7, replies by Feb. 22, on iconectiv's request to confirm that it will still meet the local number portability administrator neutrality requirements once parent company Ericsson's pending acquisition of Vonage closes, said a public notice Monday in docket 95-116. Iconectiv said "existing safeguards ... as well as certain other considerations, ensure that iconectiv will not be subject to undue influence by a party with a vested interest in number portability administration."

Administrator Alan Davidson said he sees NTIA as a “one-stop shop” for entities to seek assistance as they apply for broadband money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $65 billion in connectivity funding included in IIJA, including $48 billion under NTIA administration, is an “incredible chance to connect everyone,” Davidson told a U.S. Conference of Mayors event Friday. He took office Jan. 14. Davidson urged applicants to “have a plan” since “there are so many pots of money” available via IIJA for broadband. The more than $42 billion in state grants coming from NTIA is “the biggest pot, but there are lots of other pots of money,” he said. NTIA’s “got information about where to find grants” and staff will “provide you technical assistance” during the application process. The agency seeks comment through Feb. 4 on rules for its IIJA broadband grant programs (see 2201070048).

Two FCC connected care pilot recipients that won a combined $800,000 withdrew, said Wireline Bureau letters posted Thursday in docket 18-213. Grady Health System notified the FCC of its withdrawal in November. Grady said its commitment to provide a 15% match and personnel "is not feasible at this time," saying the proposed reporting requirements "raise concerns." Heritage Clinic notified the commission in December without detailing a reason and asked that the funding would be awarded to another agency. Grady sought more than $635,000 to provide telehealth services in Georgia, while Heritage sought nearly $200,000 to cover the cost of offering video telehealth services in California.

Sorenson's petition for declaratory ruling that service-related costs for field staff be allowed is a "straightforward question" to "clarify a misunderstanding of one simple concept," Sorenson said in reply comments posted Wednesday in docket 03-123 (see 2201110072). There's "no basis at all" for the Telecom Relay Service Fund administrator to determine that all costs related to field staff are disallowed because "sometimes ... field staff address [customer premises equipment]-related issues," Sorenson said. "Longstanding complaints about business models are not relevant to the question at hand," Sorenson responded to criticism from Convo Communications and GlobalVRS.

Don't approve Lumen's proposed asset sale to Apollo "without enforceable conditions on fiber investment, employment and plant retirement, and clarification on Connect Holding’s long-term plans," said the Communications Workers of America comments posted Wednesday in docket 21-350 (see 2108200035). Apollo's Connect Holdings would be called Brightspeed after the proposed transaction is completed. Require Connect Holdings to "disclose its investment plans for Brightspeed over a five-year and ten-year timeframe" and prohibit the company from using the capital raised through the transaction or debt offerings to pay dividends for at least three years, CWA said. Impose "strong [fiber to the premises] deployment" and other "specific deployment commitments," it said. Nearly 1,200 CWA workers in 15 bargaining units are located in the 20 states affected by the sale, CWA said. It said the proposed sale "could result in considerable harm to the public interest without strong commitments." Lumen and Apollo declined to comment.

The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics adopted many of the proposals for the third mandatory data collection for inmate calling services, in an order Tuesday in docket 12-375 (see 2111050045). The reporting period was expanded to three years. ICS providers must report customer prepayments separately and any interest paid on prepayments. The bureau adopted its proposal on the types of data collected and added figures for new account generation and termination. It also adopted its proposal to require weekly turnover data. Site commissions must be categorized as either legally mandated or contractually prescribed. These payments must also be disaggregated between monetary and in-kind payments, as well as whether they are fixed or variable. Providers will be required to report how site commissions are allocated between ICS and non-ICS operations. The bureau expanded its proposal on security costs to include providers’ security and surveillance services "outside the site commission section."