The FCC Wireline Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics Friday announced the 2025 reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed voice service for eligible telecommunications carriers. The numbers are based on the FCC’s most recent urban rate survey. The 2025 urban average monthly rate for voice is $30.67, the notice said. “The reasonable comparability benchmark for voice services, two standard deviations above the urban average, is $55.55.” That’s up from $55.13 for 2024 (see 2312260049). ETCs “must certify … no later than July 1, 2025, that the pricing of its basic residential voice services is no more than $55.55,” the notice said. The FCC also released the benchmark table for broadband. It runs from a U.S. monthly low of $89.51, $147.65 in Alaska, for 4 Mbps service, to a high of $145.80, $209.03 in Alaska, for 2 Gbps service. “Recipients of high-cost and/or Connect America Fund support that are subject to broadband performance obligations are required to offer broadband service at rates that are at or below the relevant reasonable comparability benchmark.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau approved on Thursday a request from GeoLinks that it surrender some local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) licenses in return for others from the commission’s inventory. GeoLinks proposes using federal funding to serve some 47,000 locations across Arizona, California and Nevada that now lack high-speed broadband access. The bureau sought comment on the request in May (see 2405170028). “The proposed modifications will enable GeoLinks to rationalize its LMDS spectrum holdings by providing access to more contiguous spectrum, which will allow GeoLinks to improve its network performance and lower its equipment and deployment costs,” the bureau said: “This will benefit rural consumers who would be able to access robust and affordable broadband service more quickly.” The modifications could also “increase the utility of the LMDS band overall, by returning spectrum to the Commission for future reassignment that could create synergies with existing LMDS licenses” in the FCC inventory, the order said.
FCC announces retirements of Jeffrey Steinberg, assistant general counsel; Huong Chau, Media Bureau-Audio Division engineer; Linda Sanderson Office of Economics and Analytics’ Auctions Division associate chief; and Martha Stancill, Auctions Division deputy; Daniel Shiman, OEA economist; Ying Ke, OEA geospatial data specialist; and Rachel Kazan, OEA chief of staff; new to agency is Jane Coffin, ex-Internet Society, chief-Global Strategy and Negotiations Division, Office of International Affairs.
The U.S.' decades old non-geostationary/geostationary orbit satellite spectrum-sharing framework "drastically" limits the level of satellite broadband service, SpaceX told FCC officials as the company urged action on its petition to initiate a rulemaking updating that framework (see 2408120018). In a filing posted Wednesday recapping company meetings with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's office and with Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs staff, SpaceX said the agency shouldn't wait for the "unnecessarily slow" ITU to update its NGSO-GSO sharing rules. ITU's 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference called for studying potentially higher NGSO-GSO equivalent power flux density limits ahead of WRC-27.
Attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia warned four companies Tuesday that they have been transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks. KWK Communications, Inbounc Communications, AKA Management and CallVox received letters from the bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, informing them that it shared the findings of its investigation with the FCC Enforcement Bureau. An investigation into KWK found that it received at least 129 traceback notices from the industry traceback group between 2020 and 2022 regarding calls associated with the federal government, auto warranty and utilities scams. Inbound was estimated to have "routed more than $28.4 million DirecTV and cable discount scam robocalls in a single month in 2022." AKA allegedly routed about 12.1 million Amazon and Apple-related robocalls in a single month. CallVox received more than 47 traceback notices between 2020 and 2022 concerning unlawful or suspicious robocalls to people who were registered on the do not call list. “These phone companies let robocallers on our networks, and they plague North Carolinians with illegal scam calls,” said the state's attorney general, Josh Stein (D), who co-chairs the task force. “These companies need to act now to stop these robocalls from inundating people’s phones.”
The FCC Public Safety Bureau on Wednesday announced the selection of 10 more companies that will serve as cybersecurity label administrators (CLAs) under the agency’s voluntary cyber trust mark program. Last week, it said UL Solutions was picked as the first CLA and will serve as lead administrator (see 2412040038). The CLAs announced Wednesday are: CSA America Testing & Certification, CTIA Certification, Dekra Certification, Intertek Testing Services, the ioXt Alliance, Palindrome Technologies, SGS North America, the Telecommunications Industry Association, TUV Rheinland and TUV SUD America. “The program will allow qualifying consumer smart products that meet critical cybersecurity standards to display a label, including a new U.S. government certification mark, which will help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, easily identify trustworthy products and encourage manufacturers to prioritize higher cybersecurity standards,” the bureau said. The FCC adopted the program unanimously in March (see 2403140034).
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Wednesday adopted the National Exchange Carrier Association's recommendations on proposed changes to the USF cost per loop (CPL) formula. The bureau sought comment in September, and none was received (see 2409190029), it said. “We find that NECA’s results and CPL calculations appear to be accurate and complete, and the proposed [high-cost loop support] formula should reasonably approximate the CPL of the sample average schedule companies, and thereby allocate funds appropriately to average schedule companies.”
FCC commissioners unanimously approved an order Wednesday amending the commission's letter of credit (LOC) rules for providers receiving high-cost USF support, moving away from reliance on the Weiss rating system. The order affects participants in the Connect America Fund Phase II and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund programs and those receiving support for Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The order saw tweaks at the request of Commissioner Anna Gomez, officials said.
Lynk Global wants its non-geostationary orbit license to include authority for supplemental coverage from space (SCS) operations in the 845.1-845.3 MHz and 890.1-890.3 MHz frequencies throughout Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. In an FCC Space Bureau application posted Tuesday, Lynk said it has SCS regulatory approvals in more than 30 countries and is deployed commercially via more than 40 mobile network operator commercial service contracts covering approximately 50 countries. The company said it is "well prepared to provide commercial service in the U.S." and that it has a lease agreement with Docomo, a terrestrial wireless licensee that holds all co-channel licenses throughout the Guam/Northern Mariana Islands region. Moreover, Lynk said its SCS operations are compatible with those in the leased frequencies. It said Docomo holds all the Channel Block A licensed frequencies in that region and is the only party that can operate in this spectrum and geographic location.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau announced possible action against more than 2,400 voice service providers because they did not file properly in the Robocall Mitigation Database. In addition, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a further tightening of the database’s filing rules, said an order and news release Tuesday. The 2,411 providers must correct their filings or show why they shouldn’t be removed from the database, the order said. The filings are incorrect because companies didn’t submit updated certifications and robocall mitigation plans. “Removal of a Company’s certification from the RMD would require all intermediate providers and voice service providers to cease accepting all calls directly from the Company,” the EB order said. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force also announced Tuesday that it resolved investigations of several voice service providers over transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks. “The Task Force issued notices to these providers informing them that the Task Force has shared the results of its investigations with the FCC,” the release said. “A number of the providers on notice from the Task Force are included in today’s FCC enforcement action.” In the release, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said phone providers "can’t put their profits first and turn a blind eye to the illegal robocallers they allow on our phone networks." Stein added, "I’m pleased that the states and the FCC are working together to confront these companies that are frustrating Americans with millions of scam calls.” The report and order circulated to the 10th floor Tuesday would require “timely updates to company information,” and institute base fines of $10,000 for false or inaccurate submissions, and $1,000 for failing to keep information current, said the release. The circulated order would also require companies to certify their submission's accuracy, institute a $100 filing fee, and direct that the Wireline Bureau establish a dedicated reporting mechanism. A draft version of the order was not released. Providers “must be active partners in the fight against unwanted and illegal robocalls,” said Rosenworcel. “If they are not, they should not be allowed to participate in our phone networks. Full stop.”