The Missouri Public Service Commission sought comment on proposed changes to the state USF. The Tuesday staff request in docket TW-2017-0078 outlined several proposed edits, including to definitions and rules on support, assessment, administration and eligibility. Comments are due Monday.
A fuller picture of broadcast operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands emerged in the FCC's Tuesday report on the impact of Hurricane Maria. In Puerto Rico, five TV stations were confirmed operational and nine out of service, compared with two operational and one out of service in Monday's report (see 1710160028). Eighty radio stations were confirmed operational and 51 out of service in Puerto Rico, compared with 72 operational and 33 out of service Monday. In the Virgin Islands, four radio stations were confirmed operational and four out of service, compared with two operational Monday, with no reports on TV stations. Information on wireless, wireline, cable and 911 operations was little changed; about 75.3 percent of cellsites were out in Puerto Rico and 55 percent of cellsites were out in the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico's education secretary, the governor of Texas and the Texas Education Agency asked the FCC for urgent USF E-rate support to schools and libraries affected by hurricanes, in filings (here, here, here) posted Tuesday in docket 02-6.
The FCC and DOJ settled with Verizon over possible E-rate competitive bidding violations. The telco agreed to pay $17.325 million to the USF and $354,634 to the U.S. Treasury to resolve parallel investigations, said a commission release Tuesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn dissented, citing "over $50 million in harm." The company responded that New York City Department of Education consultant Ross Lanham was at fault, engaged in fraud without the telco's knowledge and the company worked to return money to the program.
Alaska Communications pressed the FCC on a rural healthcare telecom connectivity funding "crisis." The telco repeated "concerns about the resolution of Funding Year (FY) 2016 rural health care (RHC) funding requests, the likelihood of an even greater -- substantially greater -- funding shortfall in FY 2017, and the detrimental and immediate impact this is having on the delivery of health care in rural parts of Alaska," said a filing posted Friday in docket 16-46 on meetings with aides to all five commissioners. The telco urged the commission to craft near-term and long-term solutions that would include "increasing the budget for RHC support, reducing delays in processing funding requests, and updating the rules to accommodate advanced service delivery." It also made several other filings, including on a petition for reconsideration on high-cost USF support in docket 10-90 (here) and VoIP service regulatory classification in docket 17-108 (here)
The Alaska Telephone Association asked the FCC to reconsider "mapping reporting" duties imposed by the Wireline and Wireless bureaus on participants under a commission "Alaska Plan" USF order to boost broadband (see 1608310067). ATA said it respected the order's "limited data collection and reporting requirements" on middle-mile connections to give the agency information on participant compliance with performance commitments and other requirements. But the bureau details "go beyond what is needed" and "are not appropriately tailored to the relatively simple task of ascertaining the nature of middle mile facilities" connecting communities to the internet backbone, said a petition posted Wednesday in docket 16-271, following the group's recent concerns to commissioners and staffers (see 1710040061). It said the collection includes "many last mile facilities ... no matter how small" that "are not relevant" to middle-mile connectivity. The duties would "be extremely expensive and burdensome," requiring all locations to "be measured and links described to within 7.6 meters of accuracy, which in most cases will require a site visit and survey." A March 1 deadline is also unrealistic, given Alaska's geography and winter conditions, it said.
The Nevada Public Utility Commission voted 3-0 to adopt a state USF order meant to simplify the process for requesting high-cost support for small scale providers of last resort (SSPLR). "Previously, eligible providers would file an annual request for support that amounted to a mini rate case proceeding, which was burdensome on both the SSPLR and Staff," the draft order said. Under the new process, the commission would set an NUSF support amount for five years subject to limited annual adjustment to account for fluctuations in federal USF support. The action makes permanent the new method, which the PUC adopted on a temporary basis in April. “This amendment to the regulations helps streamline the process to ensure that there is equity” service between rural and urban areas, PUC Chairman Joseph Reynolds said at the livestreamed meeting.
Most rural telcos on an FCC list disputed they faced blanket unsubsidized competition despite preliminary agency findings that, if verified, could subject them to a phasedown in high-cost USF support. Using 2016 Form 477 industry data, the FCC listed 13 rural telcos with study areas where unsubsidized rivals "potentially" offered qualified broadband and voice service to 100 percent of locations in relevant census blocks (see 1708110049). Blanchard Telephone, Beresford Municipal Telephone, Faith Municipal Telephone, Farmers Telephone, Home Telephone and Winn Telephone made filings posted Tuesday and Wednesday in docket 10-90 contesting they were subject to 100 percent competitive overlap. Bascom Mutual Telephone and Monon Telephone (plus Home) made rebuttal filings in September. Despite the invitation to comment, few competitors made filings, and those that did denied or qualified their competitive overlap. Golden West Telecommunications said it didn't compete with Faith, despite being listed as the only qualifying competitor, and Comcast (here) and CenturyLink (here) said they didn't offer service to all locations in relevant census blocks. In 2015, the FCC found only one rural telco, Pineville Telephone, was ineligible for continued USF support based on 100 percent competitive overlap, after citing 15 on its preliminary list (see 1512140052). Seven of the RLECs on the 2017 preliminary list -- including all five that apparently didn't make filings -- were also on the 2015 preliminary list.
The author of Texas’s small-cells law said he never meant to spur regulatory-regime shopping by wireless infrastructure companies. Senate Business and Commerce Committee Chairman Kelly Hancock (R) countered arguments by ExteNet and Crown Castle in a letter to the Public Utility Commission sent the day before commissioners were to discuss a controversial proceeding about PUC authority over wireless network nodes in the right of way (ROW). Commissioners chose not to discuss the wireless item at their Wednesday meeting, but approved two other items on the state USF.
Industry generally urged the FCC to streamline Form 477 data reporting duties for broadband and voice providers and be cautious about adding new requirements, particularly if costly. Many backed moving from twice-a-year to annual filings and resisted collection of more granular data, while a few took contrary views. Comments were posted Tuesday and Wednesday in docket 11-10 on a Further NPRM seeking to make industry data, which is used for USF, more useful while scrapping unnecessary burdens (see 1708030026).
The National Hispanic Media Coalition and other public interest groups urged the FCC to do more to address the communications meltdown in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see 1710040046). Chairman Ajit Pai, meanwhile, said he appointed a staff task force on hurricane recovery. Addressed to Pai, the letter also was signed by the Center for Media Justice, the Color of Change, Free Press and Public Knowledge.