The CAF II Coalition Fund asked the FCC modify letter of credit requirements for Connect America Fund Phase II broadband support program recipients "to make them consistent with the recent reforms it adopted for the similar, but much larger, Rural Digital Opportunity Fund" (see 2001300001), it petitioned for rulemaking, posted Wednesday. "It is only reasonable and equitable for the updated rules to apply to the funding provided in both the RDOF and CAF II programs."
A bill directing the New York Public Service Commission review broadband cleared the Energy and Telecom Committee at a Tuesday meeting livestreamed from Albany. The panel voted by voice for S-5696A, plus S-6833 to establish a suicide prevention hotline. The broadband bill by Sen. Jen Metzger (D) would direct the PSC to study availability, affordability and reliability of broadband, and “assess the efficacy and make recommendations regarding levels of competition among providers, as well as any regulatory and statutory barriers.” It would ask the agency to make recommendations about technology, identify noncompliance with local franchise agreements and legal settlements related to the internet, and find areas where poor web access hurts communities. S-5696A goes next to the Senate floor.
An FCC rulemaking on the framework for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is effective April 9, says Tuesday's Federal Register. The agency released the order last month (see 2002070031).
Cincinnati Bell plans to terminate a takeover pact by Brookfield Infrastructure to enter an agreement with another bidder, the telco announced Friday. Macquarie would acquire the phone services provider for $15.50 per share cash. The carrier deemed that superior to its agreement with Brookfield, which started out valued at nearly 50% lower than the new bid and was recently raised to $13.50 (see 2003040004).
A Blanca Telephone order and subsequent collection efforts seeking $6.7 million (see 2001270032) to repay high-cost USF support to which the ILEC wasn't entitled remain in effect, said an FCC second order on reconsideration in Friday's Daily Digest. Commissioners approved unanimously. The docket is 96-45. The telco didn't comment Friday.
Representatives from USTelecom and member companies met Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staff Monday to clarify an industry consensus proposal for 8YY revisions, said an FCC filing posted Thursday in docket 18-156. "USTelecom clarified that its proposal concerning recovery for rate of return carriers would be inclusive of interstate and intrastate 8YY revenues via" the Connect America Fund intercarrier compensation mechanism. Participants included AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, Verizon and Windstream.
Video relay service providers won't be required to comply with a deadline to meet technical standards for a provider-to-user-device communications standard called the interoperability profile for relay user equipment (see 1904090081), said the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau in an order on reconsideration and order suspending compliance deadline on docket 10-51 in Wednesday's Daily Digest. CGB suspended "until further notice" an April 29 deadline for compliance with a rule mandating VRS provider inteoperability following a 2017 petition from VRS provider Sorenson Communications (see 1708210026).
Cincinnati Bell agreed to a richer takeover deal with Brookfield Infrastructure and its partners, to increase the cash per-share price to $13.50 from $12.50, in a deal (see 1912230014) valued now at $2.8 billion, the telco announced Wednesday. The higher price matches the unsolicited one from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. Brookfield boosted the per-share price from $10.50 last month.
The FCC Wireline Bureau waived letter of credit deadline requirements for its Connect America Fund Phase II auction program for Gila LEC and Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee, said an order on docket 17-182 in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Both met the LOC requirements in January, the order said, after the bureau granted their petitions citing special circumstances.
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted an application to transfer control of Illinois Network Alliance to Bluebird Network (see 2002030050), per a public notice Monday in docket 20-9.