Comments are due Aug. 28 at the FCC on a new matching program to help verify USF Lifeline eligibility of applicants and subscribers, said a notice in the Federal Register Monday. The National Verifier program launch was criticized because much of the data hasn't been widely available through an accessible, national database (see 1907080009). The FCC, Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services matching program is to begin Aug. 28 "unless written comments are received that require a contrary determination," and to end Jan. 29, 2021.
Opposition poured in to an FCC proposal to cap the overall budget for the various USF programs and to combine the budget cap for two mechanisms to fund anchor institutions, in comments posted through Tuesday to docket 06-122. Stakeholders said such a plan would be difficult to implement and contradicts both the USF mission and the current FCC chairman's top priority to close the digital divide (see 1906030059).
Comments are due Aug. 29, replies Sept. 30 for an FCC NPRM on a USF pilot program to support connected care for low-income Americans and veterans, says a notice for Tuesday's Federal Register and on docket 18-213. The three-year, $100 million program received broad support (see 1907100073).
Visiting the FCC eighth floor doesn’t have as much of a “dramatic impact” for the targets of enforcement proceedings as it can have in rulemakings, said Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold in an FCBA brown-bag session Monday. Harold said she has regular meetings with commissioners and occasionally informs them of bureau proceedings to keep them from being surprised. Targets of enforcement actions only sometimes inform the Enforcement Bureau about eighth-floor visits, she said. “It doesn’t always happen,” Harold said.
California's Education Department opposes FCC-proposed USF changes (see 1905310069), saying a single funding cap would “not facilitate greater broadband access, promote operational efficiencies, or otherwise serve the public interest.” Establishing a single cap for E-rate and rural healthcare would violates Congress’ intent and slow schools’ progress on broadband connectivity, the department said, posted Friday in docket 06-122.
In the days before the sunshine period for August's FCC meeting, the eighth floor had a parade of parties urging tweaks or changes to the broadband mapping draft order on this coming Thursday's agenda. That's according to docket 19-195 postings.
The FCC boosting some standards for what type of broadband is eligible for Lifeline government subsidies caused some stakeholder confusion in the hours after Thursday's release at 3:13 p.m. EDT. Some state telecom and industry representatives were puzzled why the otherwise routine-looking staff action came as a CTIA et alia petition is pending (see 1906280012). The agency replied that the action was previously mandated. The Wireline Bureau public notice came a day after NARUC members approved a resolution asking the FCC to not make such changes (see 1907230040). The PN noted it's delivering on what a 2016 order envisioned.
Rural ISPs are optimistic on FCC plans to distribute up to $20.4 billion over 10 years through a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Chairman Ajit Pai floated earlier this year (see 1904150066). Sectors asked for modifications to a draft NPRM on rules on how to distribute the USF subsidies through a two-step reverse auction (see 1907110031). Commissioners are expected to vote at their Aug. 1 meeting on the NPRM.
Rural healthcare providers and the telecommunications companies that service them raised concerns in docket 17-310 about a draft report and order on promoting telehealth in rural America that the FCC has on its agenda for its Aug. 1 meeting (see 1907120003). Some are asking the agency to include recommended revisions before the commissioners vote, while others want to delay the vote altogether, until the September or October meeting, to give stakeholders more time to weigh in.
INDIANAPOLIS -- USF stakeholders scrutinized Viasat participation in an FCC auction of subsidies for voice and broadband to underserved rural America because they said the satellite provider indicates it could struggle to provide high-quality phone service. Viasat was such a major participant by some metrics it might have skewed the results, some said on a NARUC panel Tuesday and in follow-up interviews. The company seeks some related changes from the FCC. With the agency's members likely to vote next week on rules for the next high-cost auction, one consultant suggested Viasat not be included.