Affordable connectivity program providers will be reimbursed up to $14 for providing the benefit to nontribal households next month, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 21-450 (see 2403040077). ISPs will also be reimbursed up to $35 for serving tribal households and up to $47 for connected devices.
The FCC Wireless Bureau Wednesday denied a waiver request by Lincoln County, Maine, to operate a travelers’ information station (TIS) that deploys equipment not certified for Part 90 use, using AM radio spectrum. “Since the County did not include an engineering analysis in its … request, we cannot determine whether operation of the proposed transmitter at its maximum output power of 500 watts would interfere with incumbent AM broadcast stations,” the bureau said. The bureau also denied a similar request by Waldo County, Maine. The county argues it's “a coastal jurisdiction and is susceptible to severe summer and winter storms, in the form of blizzards, nor-easters, ice storms, tropical storms and hurricanes,” and it “can experience out-of-control forest fires that can burn into neighborhoods and cut off escape routes,” the bureau said: “Though these circumstances may be factual, and though [we] do not downplay the severity of such threats, we find that these do not constitute unique or unusual circumstances, as these circumstances could apply to other areas of the country."
Most ISPs began displaying consumer-friendly labels at their online and in-store points of sale Wednesday, the day the FCC required compliance for providers with more than 100,000 subscribers. Smaller providers have until Oct. 10 (see 2310100058). The new labels, mandated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are based on the FCC's 2016 voluntary labels. "Consumers across the country can now benefit from consistent, transparent, and accessible point-of-sale information about broadband prices and services," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The new disclosures are "designed to make it simpler for consumers to know what they are getting, hold providers to their promises, and benefit from greater competition," Rosenworcel said. "This new and important tool empowers consumers with clear, consistent, easy to understand and accurate information about current internet service offerings and allows them to make an informed choice that best meets their household needs and their long term budget," Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alejandro Roark told reporters Tuesday during an embargoed news conference. Current subscribers will have access to labels describing their existing plans "wherever they pay their bill," Roark said. The new label is "a tool that can help consumers," said White House National Economic Council Deputy Director Jon Donenberg. It "will make sure that you have a clear, straightforward explanation of your home internet and mobile plans and services before you sign up for anything," Donenberg said, calling the move "common sense." Labels are required for all stand-alone home or fixed broadband and mobile broadband services. ISPs are required to include in their labels introductory rates, speeds, data allowances and links to additional information about network performance and privacy policies. Providers will also be required, beginning Oct. 10, to make the labels machine-readable to "enable third parties to more easily collect and aggregate data for the purpose of creating comparison-shopping tools for consumers," said an FCC consumer advisory Wednesday.
Internet service and traditional pay-TV costs rose faster than the rate of inflation in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index unadjusted data released Wednesday. Internet service costs in the U.S. in March rose 4.2% year over year, while cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs were up 3.8%, according to BLS data. BLS said March prices overall rose 3.5% year over year before seasonal adjustment. The agency said residential phone service jumped 3.4% year over year, while wireless phone service costs dropped 2.7%. It said smartphone prices dropped 9%, and computers, peripherals and smart home assistants fell 3.8%. Video purchase/subscription/rental rose 8.1%.
The Q4 2023 inflation adjustment figure for cable operators using Form 1240 is 1.63%, said the FCC Media Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics Tuesday. In the year-ago quarter, it was 3.88%.
Hotwire Communications asked the FCC to abandon its proposal for banning bulk billing arrangements between ISPs and apartment buildings (see 2403050069). Hotwire noted in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 17-142 that it discussed with Wireline Bureau staff challenges consumers faced when they attempted to apply their affordable connectivity program benefit to a service offered through bulk billing. The company said the difficulties are due to "flaws in the ACP rules," suggesting the FCC amend its rules to "facilitate greater use of ACP discounts where bulk billing arrangements are present" should the program be replenished. Hotwire also asked the commission to consider the item during a commissioners' meeting. "This would enable the public to review and provide input on the draft rulemaking for three weeks prior to the vote," Hotwire said.
Multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) redoubled their arguments against a proposed requirement that gives subscribers a rebate when a retransmission consent talk impasse results in a blackout. Arguments were made in reply comments filed in docket 24-20 this week. Initial comments were in March (see 2403110057). Localities and broadcasters jabbed at MVPD contentions. Also, broadcasters and MVPDs are at odds over a proposed blackout reporting mandate (see 2402270044).
CTIA representatives warned about potential negative effects from some robotexting rules proposed in comments to a December Further NPRM (see 2312190032). “Reject calls from a handful of non-consumer message senders to dismantle the wireless ecosystem’s existing practices that are stopping billions of spam and scam text messages,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-402: “These groups’ support for adoption of a content-neutral and non-discriminatory blocking standard would gut the messaging ecosystem’s multi-layered defenses for consumers.” CTIA said adopting that proposed standard “would remove the best practices that prevent non-consumer message senders from sending text messages that consumers do not want, including campaigns related to illegal substances and content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco.” CTIA representatives spoke with FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alejandro Roark and others from the bureau.
FCC Administrative Law Judge Jane Halprin won’t broaden the scope of a hearing involving Antonio Cesar Guel's apparently fake sale of broadcast stations to include other questionable transactions because she doesn’t want to interfere with possible FCC Media Bureau investigations, said an order in Friday’s Daily Digest (see2402060049). Granting the Enforcement Bureau’s request to enlarge the hearing proceeding against Guel would also not be “efficient,” she said. The initial proceeding concerned Guel's sale of low-power radio and TV stations to his niece Jennifer Juarez, and false statements Guel made to the FCC, including hiding his lack of U.S. citizenship. The EB wanted the proceeding to include other companies -- Mekaddesh Group, Hispanic Family Christian Network and JPX Global -- whose ownership was the focus of contradictory filings at the FCC and SEC from Guel, his daughter and their associates. “It seems that with each filing in this proceeding, the control and operation of the Guel family’s broadcast licenses becomes less clear,” Halprin wrote. She said that keeping the case narrow is consistent with the Media Bureau’s approach when it originally designated the Guel matter for hearing, though it was aware of other possible violations. “These ambiguities, when considered with the numerous FCC violations to which Mr. Guel has already admitted . . . suggest a pattern of obfuscation and noncompliance” that “warrants further exploration,” the order said.
The FCC gave Westchester County, New York, until Dec. 31, 2025, to build out four 700 MHz trunked public safety stations. In 2019, the county received an extension through Nov. 30, 2023. “The County contends that it undertook the conversion of its T-Band stations to relocate those stations to frequencies in the 700 MHz band in response” to T-band legislation from Congress, which was later repealed (see 2012290046), the Public Safety Bureau said Friday. “The County contends that, while the T-band relocation mandate is no longer required, the work it completed to convert and relocate its system should be recognized.”