APCO told the FCC direct access to the network outage reporting system and the disaster information reporting system by 911 emergency communications centers (ECCs) would be “helpful.” It's "more important that ECCs receive timely, actionable information regarding any outage that affects 9-1-1 service, including directly from communications service providers,” APCO filed Tuesday in docket 15-80 on a call with Public Safety Bureau staff. “ECCs should receive outage information in an easily accessible format that provides situational awareness with regard to the timing, nature, and scope of any impacts to 9-1-1.”

The FCC circulated drafts last week on the Connect America Fund and its Mobility Fund, plus draft maritime accounting authority and Enforcement Bureau orders, and a draft on an Iowa Network Access Division (Aureon) Tariff No. 1, said the updated list. The CAF draft is an order on Mescalero Apache's petition for reconsideration (see 1805310032) of a "Tribal Opex Relief Order" adopted April 5, emailed a spokesperson Tuesday. He said the Mobility Fund draft is an order on issues raised in an Aug. 21 combined NPRM and orders, and the Aureon draft is an order on an AT&T petition to reconsider a previous tariff.

Comments are due Nov. 23, replies Nov. 30 on a Q Link Wireless FCC waiver petition to use alternatives for Lifeline national verifier confirmation of low-income consumer eligibility, absent an application programming interface. The request seeks to “permit Q Link in ‘hard launch’ states to submit eligibility documentation to the National Verifier via bulk transfer” until its previous API petition is resolved, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 17-287 Friday. The NV launched Nov. 5 in Colorado, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming (see 1811020058). Q Link made its case for both petitions in Tuesday meetings with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioners Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel, their aides and bureau staffers, said filings (here and here). "As 'hard launch' progresses, more and more rural, suburban and mobility challenged consumers, including veterans and seniors, will lose meaningful access to Lifeline without a carrier API, or at least a bridge that allows bulk transfer of consumer certifications and eligibility information from a carrier to the National Verifier," it said. The National Association of American Veterans Friday called Lifeline "vital" for up to 1.3 million veterans and noted a recent filing. "The Commission is considering changes -- including a restrictive budget cap, higher minimum standards that would shrink available service, and limitations on the enrollment through the National Verifier System for Lifeline -- that could end up seeing many or even most vets being forced out," NAAV said.

Comments are due Dec. 7, replies Dec. 24 on Sprint's petition for FCC rulemaking on a new ratemaking methodology for IP Relay Service after a three-year price-cap period ends in 2019 (see 1811020051). "Sprint proposes a hybrid rate methodology that is based on a combination of the Multistate Average Rate Structure (MARS) and provider costs to set future rates," said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123.

The FCC sees robocalls as a growing problem, said Mark Stone, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau deputy chief, on a Wednesday FCC podcast. The cost is low so “we see a proliferation of the calls,” he said. Stone said ID spoofing is increasingly a concern. “I'm talking to people all the time who say, 'If I see a number that has my area code in my neighborhood, I'm not picking it up. I assume that it's fraud,'” he said. “It's a rapid change over the past few years.”

Capital One said the FCC should develop clear, reasonable rules on the definition of automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) and “called party,” and provide a clear standard to “govern consent revocation when it comes to automated text message programs” to limit litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, meeting Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau staff. "Confirm that: (1) if the sender of a text message transmitted through an ATDS clearly and conspicuously discloses that a ‘STOP’ reply will revoke a recipient’s prior express consent to receive such messages, then a recipient’s attempt to revoke his or her consent through other means is per se unreasonable," it filed, posted Tuesday in docket 18-152 "(2) if a ‘STOP’ reply is received in response to such a text message, and that message is part of a program that transmits different categories of messages, then the sender can clarify the scope of the recipient’s consent revocation without" a violation.

AT&T is against giving state commissions and others access to network outage reporting system (NORS) data, it told FCC Public Safety Bureau staff. “Public disclosure of the location of network outages and their root cause analyses may have significant implications for national security," it filed, posted Tuesday in docket 04-35. “Other network outage information (e.g., the number and severity of outages) is of a highly competitively-sensitive nature, and ... we would similarly oppose the public disclosure.” In a Friday call with FCC staff, the California Public Utilities Commission stressed public safety benefits of the state collecting outage data from providers. The CPUC requires carriers provide copies of NORS reports in major service interruptions and "treats these Major Service Interruption reports as confidential, consistent with the FCC’s treatment of NORS reports,” it said. “CPUC must be able to meet that obligation by collecting data that is specific to California’s needs.”

Broadcom completed its takeover of CA Technologies, the buyer announced Monday. The deal was worth almost $19 billion and got antitrust clearance (see 1810150043). Citing the importance of mainframes to large enterprises and the computers processing 30 billion transactions daily and $7 trillion of credit card payments annually, it said it's a "stable market opportunity."

Sprint asked the FCC to launch an IP Relay service rulemaking to establish a "sustainable ratemaking methodology," as a three-year price-cap period ends with the 2018-19 funding year. The agency "should move away" from the current methodology, "which fails to account for all of the costs that Sprint reasonably incurs," said a petition posted Friday: "A hybrid rate methodology that is based on a combination of the Multistate Average Rate Structure ('MARS') and provider costs" will "enable Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and DeafBlind consumers to continue to" access the "critical" relay service, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At the North American Numbering Council meeting Dec. 4, working groups will report on progress toward recommendations for NANC to consider, and the full advisory committee will continue discussing how to "modernize and foster more efficient number administration," said an FCC public notice in Thursday's Daily Digest. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, and the agenda could change.