Top 911 associations are seeking to raise awareness about state 911 fee diversion, in which some states use 911 fees on consumer bills to pay for things not directly related. The FCC estimated diversion led to $223.4 million of 911 fee revenue going to other purposes in 2014. In Part I of this report, we found that the three states said to do the most diversion seemed unlikely to quit the practice soon (see 1605270020). In interviews last week, emergency response leaders said achieving 100 percent usage of 911 fees for 911 service is critical to maintaining emergency response service quality, adequately staffing 911 centers, and funding upgrades to Next-Generation 911 so people can send multimedia to emergency responders.
The FCC approved a Connect America Fund Phase II subsidy auction plan to provide $215 million in annual broadband-oriented support to unsubsidized rural areas traditionally served by larger telcos. At their Wednesday meeting, commissioners voted almost unanimously to adopt an order setting the CAF II auction framework and a Further NPRM to flesh out certain auction specifics, including "weights" for bidders offering different broadband service levels. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly partially dissented on the FNPRM, but even he credited his colleagues with making a fiber-oriented draft item more balanced among technologies: "We are still a long way from home, but at least we're back on course for now."
The FCC approved a Connect America Fund Phase II subsidy auction plan to provide $215 million in annual broadband-oriented support to unsubsidized rural areas traditionally served by larger telcos. At their Wednesday meeting, commissioners voted almost unanimously to adopt an order setting the CAF II auction framework and a Further NPRM to flesh out certain auction specifics, including "weights" for bidders offering different broadband service levels. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly partially dissented on the FNPRM, but even he credited his colleagues with making a fiber-oriented draft item more balanced among technologies: "We are still a long way from home, but at least we're back on course for now."
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler could face an uphill battle trying to reestablish the joint sales agreement attribution rule vacated by the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a majority opinion by Judge Thomas Ambro, broadcast attorneys told us. Along with vacating the JSA rule as expected (see 1604190041) in Wednesday’s Prometheus III decision, the 3rd Circuit took the commission to task for delaying the 2010 and 2014 quadrennial reviews and not abiding by the court’s decision in the previous two Prometheus cases (see 1605250016). That was the subject of a Communications Daily Bulletin.
BOSTON -- Any number of next steps, from a report or rulemaking to "some other option," are possible after the FCC's independent and diverse programming notice of inquiry and related workshops, said David Grossman, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn's chief of staff, on an INTX 2016 panel Tuesday. Jessica Almond, aide to Chairman Tom Wheeler, said Wheeler similarly is interested in some next step in the programming NOI, but gave no details on what. Wheeler is scheduled to talk Wednesday.
Federal funding for 911 will likely be hard to come by for the foreseeable future, said the ranking Democrat on the House Commerce Committee at the APCO Summit Monday. Republicans usually block new funding efforts, and no spectrum auction legislation is on the horizon, said Rep. Frank Pallone and his telecom aide, David Goldman. States and localities will be the biggest source of 911 funding, said an FCC official.
Senate Democrats show no signs of letting up on an aggressive push to secure a floor reconfirmation vote for FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Last week, Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., told us he has heard “there will be” Democratic holds on the hotline efforts to pass the Mobile Now spectrum bill (S-2555), which underwent the start of a hotline process Wednesday, and later the FCC Reauthorization Act (S-2644), which may undergo a hotline attempt in the coming weeks (see 1605100058). Nelson, who said he wouldn't place a hold himself, cited “concern among a whole bunch of people” that would prompt Democratic holds until Rosenworcel receives her vote.
Senate Democrats show no signs of letting up on an aggressive push to secure a floor reconfirmation vote for FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Last week, Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., told us he has heard “there will be” Democratic holds on the hotline efforts to pass the Mobile Now spectrum bill (S-2555), which underwent the start of a hotline process Wednesday, and later the FCC Reauthorization Act (S-2644), which may undergo a hotline attempt in the coming weeks (see 1605100058). Nelson, who said he wouldn't place a hold himself, cited “concern among a whole bunch of people” that would prompt Democratic holds until Rosenworcel receives her vote.
Senate Democrats will prevent any easy floor passage of the FCC Reauthorization Act (S-2644) and the Mobile Now spectrum bill (S-2555) until the Senate votes on the renomination of FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, as expected (see 1605060062), a senior Democrat confirmed this week. Commerce Committee Republican staff plan to file for hotline unanimous consent consideration of both measures on the Senate floor this month, and a Commerce Committee aide confirmed Tuesday that Mobile Now will undergo a hotline attempt this week. Both hotline efforts would fail under the current Democratic strategy.
FCC conditions for Charter Communications' buying Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks include requiring New Charter to build out its broadband network by a million customer locations within four years of close and to offer a low-income broadband service. A number of the conditions the agency itself acknowledges aren't transaction specific. Despite that, the FCC said in its 348-page order Tuesday that buildout "would provide a substantial public interest benefit [and] spur competition, leading to lower prices and greater choice for consumers." That the order was coming was announced last week (see 1605060059).