Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction winners must submit their letter of credit commitment letters and detailed technology and system design descriptions by 6 p.m. EST Feb. 16, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Wednesday. Educational materials on the technology and system design descriptions that must be filed are here.
The FCC has a "clear duty to act" on minimum service standards, and further delay "threatens low-income consumers' health and welfare by making Lifeline less accessible and less affordable during the COVID-19 pandemic," the National Lifeline Association told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Wednesday (in Pacer) in case No. 20-1460 (see 2012310031). The formula was "improperly adopted from the start" and has "arbitrarily increased" MSS by 50% without analyzing whether it's affordable, NaLA argued.
Comments opposing a petition for reconsideration of portions of the FCC's call authentication trust anchor second report and order by CTIA and Voice on the Net are due by Jan. 29, replies Feb. 8, in docket 17-97, says Thursday's Federal Register. CTIA and VON asked to eliminate the prohibition on voice service providers accepting calls from foreign voice providers that use North American numbering plan resources and aren't listed in the robocall mitigation database.
Designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday for all employees, Communications Workers of America members wrote Lumen CEO Jeff Storey Monday. In November, the company announced it will give non-union members the holiday in an effort to become more "diverse and inclusive." Paid holidays are "negotiated benefits," a Lumen spokesperson told us, and the telco "looks forward to discussing with each union the possible addition of MLK Day as a paid holiday when each agreement comes up for renegotiation." Union employees in Wisconsin have off that day.
The North American Numbering Council should establish a working group to "pinpoint the operational hurdles" that may arise with providing location information stemming from a 988 suicide hotline call, NTCA told the FCC Wireline Bureau Monday in docket 18-336 (see 2010190058). NTCA said routing calls to a local crisis center would let callers access local resources and allow mobilization of emergency services. "Ensuring that accurate location information is conveyed with a 988 call, and that such calls are routed properly to the appropriate local crisis center, will involve multiple stakeholders and technological hurdles," NTCA wrote, citing potential issues in remote areas in Alaska and on tribal lands. The group also raised privacy concerns. NANC meets Feb. 4 (see 2012310029).
The Wireline Bureau clarified that replies to opposition on Global Tel*Link's petition for reconsideration of the FCC's 2020 inmate calling services order are due Jan. 21, in a public notice Friday in docket 12-375 (see 2012030056).
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau granted a slamming complaint against Verizon. Friday's order said Verizon failed to provide proof of third-party verification for authorization. Verizon didn't comment.
New FCC rules on unbundling and resale requirements for unbundled network elements take effect Feb. 8, says Friday's Federal Register (see 2002060006).
New FCC rules on the Lifeline and Link Up take effect Feb. 8, says Thursday's Federal Register. The rules remove broadband from the list of services supported by Lifeline and preserve the commission's authority to fund broadband through the program, as part of acting on a court remand mostly upholding other net neutrality deregulation.
AT&T Florida and Florida Power & Light got until Jan. 15 to submit a joint statement on the FCC ruling in favor of AT&T's complaint it was being charged unreasonable pole attachment rates, said an FCC Enforcement Bureau order in Tuesday's Daily Digest (see 2005200057). Both parties sought an extension after failing to meet the extended Dec. 21 deadline. The 270-day review period was delayed 134 days because the statement will be filed beyond the Sept. 3 deadline established in the original order.