An item on an E-rate amortization requirement began circulating among FCC commissioners last week and appeared on its list updated Friday. Early this year, the FCC temporarily waived an E-rate requirement that schools and libraries participating in the USF program amortize over three years upfront, non-recurring charges of $500,000 or more and issued an NPRM in docket 19-2 proposing to eliminate the amortization requirement (see 1901310061).

Wide Voice (d/b/a HD Tandem) will raise the issue of whether the FCC changes the definition of "access stimulation" in its September report and order in docket 18-155, the company said (in Pacer) Monday in a statement of issues to be raised in Wide Voice v. FCC, case 19-1244, before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sprint representatives met with FCC bureau staff and commissioners' aides about concerns over rate-setting for IP Caption Telephone Service (IP CTS), it said in a letter posted Monday in docket 13-24. The company worries that "adoption of a unitary, weighted-average rate would mask" significant differences in per-unit costs that different providers incur to offer IP CTS, "which likely are driven by differences in service quality," it said.

The FCC waived Form 509 rules to let Connect America Fund rate-of-return carriers report actual rates for consumer broadband-only lines in determining 2018 revenue, rather than impute revenue based on the maximum possible rate, in an order Friday on docket 10-90. The Wireline Bureau previously granted one-time waiver to avoid causing a significant reduction in USF support. It found similar circumstances now.

Comments are due Jan. 2, replies Jan. 9 on transferring certain LEC residential customers in Pennsylvania and North Carolina from Talk America to Windstream Communications, said a Wireline Bureau public notice Thursday on docket 19-326.

The FCC said rural broadband experiment applicant Northeast Rural Services demonstrated good cause for waiver of default rules that would have allowed Universal Service Administrative Co. to collect all disbursed funds from its program participation, in an order in Thursday's Daily Digest and on docket 14-259. The Wireline Bureau directed USAC seek repayment on a study area basis. But Lake County, Minnesota, the order said, "failed to demonstrate good cause for waiver of the commission's default rules to permit it to retain a percentage of its disbursed support based on the average amount of disbursed support per location reported as served as of its 15-month milestone." It said the county permanently defaulted on its obligations. The municipality didn't comment. The locality petitioned for relinquishment of RBE status after it agreed to sell its broadband network (see 1905200043).

FCC Wireline, Wireless and International bureaus OK'd selling Frontier Communications' northwestern states telecom assets to Northwest Fiber. Thursday's order on docket 19-188 requires Frontier replicate operations support systems and offer OSS support for up to three years to help minimize service disruptions. Consumer advocates hope the deal leads to better rural broadband (see 1910040023). The companies announced the $1.35 billion transaction in May (see 1905290042). DOJ weighed in because some Northwest Fiber owners aren't U.S. citizens (see 1907010037). FCC approval is conditioned on Northwest Fiber's following a letter of agreement with DOJ. The order doesn't adopt Montana Sky's requests (see 1908090024).

AT&T wants extension until Feb. 14 of emergency authorization to suspend wireline service after its network was damaged in Northern California wildfires in 2017, it said Wednesday in docket 17-354. The company first filed its request two years ago and has since completed much restoration. A remaining project would serve 88 living units and awaits Santa Rosa approval, the telco said.

Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., led a letter with 52 other House members Tuesday urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to ensure the $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (see 1905010188) prioritizes “deployment of sustainable networks that are capable of meeting consumer demands now and into the future.” Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and 47 other senators wrote a similar letter earlier this month (see 1912090068). “If our rural communities are to survive and flourish, our rural constituents need access to services that are reasonably comparable with those in urban areas,” the House lawmakers wrote. “It would be an inefficient use of resources to promote services that cannot keep pace with consumer demand and the evolution of broadband in urban areas." The agency "received the letter" and is "reviewing" it, a spokesperson said.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set oral argument Feb. 4 in New Orleans in 18-10768, IntraMTA Switched Access (see 1910210006), the court clerk said, posted Monday (in Pacer).