NCTA and Verizon may not always agree, but both urged the FCC to get aggressive on accelerating the IP transition and moving remaining carriers from an intercarrier compensation (ICC) regime to a bill-and-keep framework. Nearly 100 groups and companies responded to the February NPRM in initial comments, which were due this week and included opposition from NARUC and others (see 2605270032)
The FCC's NPRM on the future of the USF high-cost program didn’t see wholesale changes sought by Elon Musk's SpaceX questioning the continuing need for the program (see 2605150035), but it was tweaked to mention satellite competition more prominently. The final NPRM also saw the addition of more than two dozen questions not in the draft.
The Utah Public Service Commission will hold a technical conference June 18 with presentations from the state’s rate-of-return regulated rural telecommunications utilities (RILECs) and Division of Public Utilities on the Utah Universal Public Telecommunications Support Fund (UUSF). According to a filing Thursday in docket 24-999-10, the commission asked the RILECs to detail how they spent UUSF funds in 2024 and 2025, the scope of the planned buildout in 2026, 2027 and 2028, and how federal BEAD funding will affect the need for UUSF.
The FCC voted 3-0 Wednesday to approve a draft further NPRM on know-your-upstream-provider (KYUP) rules, with tweaks, as expected (see 2605190042). Commissioner Anna Gomez said the FNPRM, which is aimed at preventing illegal robocalls, was changed to address consumer concerns about protecting their privacy.
FCC commissioners unanimously approved an NPRM on Wednesday seeking comment about ways to make the USF high-cost fund more efficient, but it didn't include changes sought by Elon Musk's SpaceX questioning the continuing need for the program (see 2605150035). In comments last weekend at an FCBA seminar, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said industry shouldn’t panic about the future of the USF (see 2605180008).
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and the state’s Public Service Commission awarded $1.7 million in grant funding from the Wisconsin USF to help improve phone and internet accessibility in the state, according to a news release Monday. The state gave $500,000 to 15 nonprofits through the Nonprofit Access Grant Program that will be used to connect eligible households and disabled people to telecommunications services. An additional $243,964 was awarded through the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program, which is aimed at increasing participation in the Lifeline program, and $1 million went to 10 medical facilities through the Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program.
USTelecom and CTIA, among other commenters, urged the FCC to move forward on reforming how the Universal Service Administrative Co. operates, according to filings posted Monday in docket 96-45. The Wireline Bureau and Office of the Managing Director issued a notice last month on potential changes, asking more than 30 questions (see 2604160070). The FCC has taken a broad look at the USF’s individual programs, with a notice on the high-cost program also set for a commissioner vote Wednesday.
HERSHEY, Pa. -- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and agency staffers hinted at a potential public notice on the public interest standard as they discussed a broad swath of upcoming FCC activity during their appearances at the FCBA’s annual seminar here Friday and Saturday.
The FCC has sent three letters of inquiry to Minnesota educational institutions to investigate “potential misuse of federal funds disbursed through the E-Rate program,” the agency said Friday. “The FCC is committed to stopping bad actors from defrauding our USF programs, including those who target our E-Rate program as a way to line their own pockets,” said Chairman Brendan Carr.
The FCC’s draft NPRM seeking broad comment on ways to make the USF high-cost fund more efficient has seen few comments, despite the potential high stakes for carriers that rely on support. The only filing as of Friday in 26-96, the docket created for comments on the NPRM, was from SpaceX, which questioned the program's future in an era when satellite broadband is ubiquitous. SpaceX offers broadband through subsidiary Starlink. Commissioners will vote Thursday on the draft NPRM (see 2604290052).