The FCC Wireline Bureau said Monday two winning applicants in Puerto Rico are eligible for high-cost support, worth $127.1 million over 10 years, under Stage 2 of the Uniendo program. Liberty Communications committed to offering service to more than 914,000 locations for $71.54 million in support. Puerto Rico Telephone Co. committed to more than 308,000 for $55.56 million. “The Fund will bring modern, resilient broadband service of at least 100 Mbps to every location in Puerto Rico,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The two must file additional supporting information, due Nov. 17. All 78 muncipios are covered with fixed broadband service with speeds of at least 100 Mbps, the FCC said.
The Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) Broadband Coalition asked the FCC Friday to launch an expedited rulemaking on providing six years of additional support at current levels “in return for providing significantly faster broadband speeds to consumers more quickly than consumers otherwise would receive them.” The FCC adopted the A-CAM in 2016 for rate-of-return companies for use in distributing universal service support in high-cost areas. “The proposed enhancements could result in over 600,000 eligible locations being deployed to at speeds of 100/25 Mbps or higher,” said an undocketed petition: “The requirement to deploy broadband to eligible locations at lower speeds (i.e. 25/3 Mbps, 10/1 Mbps, and 4/1 Mbps) would decrease as, overall, new deployment obligations would bump up those locations to higher speed categories.” Telecom consultant Genny Morelli, who's leading efforts, told us the outlook is good for FCC action. “The preliminary, informal feedback from the commission has been very positive,” she said: “They recognize the need to get higher-speed broadband out to rural consumers as quickly as possible. We believe the petition provides a good vehicle to help accomplish that.”
The Rural Digital Opportunities Fund Phase 1 auction is the FCC's "biggest step yet" to close the digital divide, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said as the agency announced the start of the auction. The multi-round, descending clock auction is capped at $16 billion and will end when there's no competition for support in an area.
Allowing more foreign investment in Consolidated Communications would mean more financial support for its multiyear investment program to deploy fiber to the home to as many as 1.4 million locations and accelerate its commercial fiber build, said its FCC International Bureau petition for declaratory ruling Monday for foreign investment higher than the 25% benchmark in the Communications Act. Consolidated said it and Searchlight Capital Partners worked out a $425 million deal that would mean Searchlight investment funds owning 35% of Consolidated’s common voting stock and up to about 62.4% of its equity, with Searchlight's control ultimately being in a Cayman Island partnership run by a Canadian and a German.
Comments are due Nov. 23, replies Dec. 22, on the interstate inmate calling services Further NPRM approved 5-0 in August (see 2008060053), said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Friday. Proposals in the FNPRM include lower rates on collect calls.
New rules on rates for interstate inmate calling services, approved by FCC commissioners 5-0 in August (see 2008060053), take effect Nov. 23, says a Friday Federal Register notice. A second notice sets comment deadlines on an accompanying Further NPRM -- Nov. 23 for initial comments, Dec. 22 for replies, in docket 12-375.
Any carrier wanting to end its legacy time division multiplexed voice service to a community or part of a community when it's the last retail provider of that service is subject to FCC technology transition discontinuance rules, including the requirements to receive streamlined treatment of its discontinuance application, said a Wireline Bureau declaratory ruling Tuesday. It said since the FCC updated its TDM discontinuance rules in 2018 (see 1806070021), some CLECs have mistakenly believed that the technology transition discontinuance rules don't apply when trying to end TDM voice services.
The inmate calling services database that FCC staff developed for use in the ICS proceeding is available subject to a protective order, says Tuesday’s Federal Register. Commissioners approved 5-0 an order on remand and a Further NPRM on ICS rates in August (see 2008060053).
Current U.S. broadband networks are "nowhere near ready for self-driving vehicles, drone delivery and telemedicine," Incompas CEO Chip Pickering blogged Friday, supporting the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR-7302). Along with endorsing the $100 billion in spending, Incompas made policy suggestions. It suggested Congress amend Section 224 of the Communications Act to make clear that broadband-only providers have equal rights as cable operators and carriers, including equal rights to utility poles, and there be streamlined state and local approval processes. Future federal money should target building broadband networks where infrastructure is lacking and should be coordinated across federal agencies, it said. The group urged improved FCC broadband mapping.
Radiate's purchase of En-Touch Systems, parent of Houston-area cable operator and CLEC ETS Cablevision and ETS Telephone, (see 2008040060) was consummated effective Sept. 18, it told the FCC International Bureau Wednesday.