The FCC should investigate reports that carriers disconnected customers after pledging to the FCC they wouldn’t do so during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in a tweet Thursday. “Investigate these complaints. Stat.” The agency is “powerless” to enforce the Keep Americans Connected pledge (see 2003130066), said Gigi Sohn of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. The commission “abdicated" authority to do so when it reversed itself on net neutrality, she said. Hundreds of ISPs have taken FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's pledge.
FCC workers and their National Treasury Employees Union praise the agency's precautions to protect employees from COVID-19. But NTEU filed an unfair labor practices grievance against the agency Monday over continuing contract negotiations during the pandemic, President Tony Reardon emailed us. The FCC acted faster than some other federal agencies, but critics told us none has responded quickly or well.
Commissioners approved secure telephone identity revisited and secure handling of asserted information using tokens call authentication rules electronically before their abbreviated meeting Tuesday (see 2003310012). No items were discussed in detail. Commissioners released statements expressing some concerns about Stir/Shaken authentication rules and urging more action in response to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about 14 minutes.
Advocates want the FCC to use emergency authority to mandate free inmate calling service phone calls and videos, for at least 60 days, they said in a petition to the agency. COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders and suspended visits make access to ICS more important, they told us. ICS providers said they're responding to inmates' needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic comes as Ajit Pai enters what is likely to be the homestretch of his time as FCC chairman. Pai has sketched out an ambitious agenda for the rest of 2020, but no one knows how long the pandemic will last. Industry officials agree it will likely slow work on at least some items due to refocusing on coronavirus-related orders. The crisis offers Pai a chance to write a new legacy, they said.
The FCC Wireline Bureau waived gift rules through Sept. 30 for the E-rate and Rural Health Care programs to help schools, libraries and healthcare providers better respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, in an order Wednesday on docket 02-60 (see 2003180048). Waivers in the healthcare program are limited to providers involved in screening and treatment of COVID-19 or mitigating its spread, the order said. The E-rate waiver is limited to eligible entities adjusting to school or library closures due to COVID-19, regardless of the USF program's funding year. The FCC will monitor whether extensions are needed. “By waiving certain FCC rules today, we are giving service providers the chance to step up and give health care providers more tools to fight the ongoing pandemic and serve patients more effectively," Chairman Ajit Pai said. He encouraged "service providers and equipment makers to partner with schools and libraries to provide mobile hotspots and other broadband-enabled devices to students to help bridge the digital divide during the coronavirus pandemic." Such efforts could complement the agency's work with Congress to appropriate funds for a remote learning initiative and a COVID connected care pilot, Pai said, adding such programs would allow the agency to use federal funds to support in-home equipment for patients and students affected by the pandemic. The agency's Connected Care pilot remains in the rulemaking stage, and it sought comment on whether the program should subsidize patient monitoring equipment and broadband to the home (see 1906190013). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called the gift waivers a smart step. "But let’s not confuse generosity for justice," she said. "We need a national plan to ensure that everyone is connected during these unprecedented days." She wants the FCC to use its "universal service powers" to provide hotspot loans to students caught in the homework gap, and connectivity for telehealth services to support treating coronavirus patients and those quarantined. Stakeholders for USF programs supporting anchor institutions expect a spike in telehealth (see 2003060036) and online learning (see 2003170014) this year. The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition asked the FCC to waive the gift rules, in a letter Tuesday (see 2003170014). The gift ban was in place to prevent undue influence in the competitive bidding process, SHLB Executive Director John Windhausen told us. SHLB views this as "a timely step,” he emailed Wednesday. “The coronavirus is putting online learning and telemedicine in high demand ... We hope the FCC will continue to be proactive.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau waived gift rules through Sept. 30 for the E-rate and Rural Health Care programs to help schools, libraries and healthcare providers better respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, in an order Wednesday on docket 02-60 (see 2003180048). Waivers in the healthcare program are limited to providers involved in screening and treatment of COVID-19 or mitigating its spread, the order said. The E-rate waiver is limited to eligible entities adjusting to school or library closures due to COVID-19, regardless of the USF program's funding year. The FCC will monitor whether extensions are needed. “By waiving certain FCC rules today, we are giving service providers the chance to step up and give health care providers more tools to fight the ongoing pandemic and serve patients more effectively," Chairman Ajit Pai said. He encouraged "service providers and equipment makers to partner with schools and libraries to provide mobile hotspots and other broadband-enabled devices to students to help bridge the digital divide during the coronavirus pandemic." Such efforts could complement the agency's work with Congress to appropriate funds for a remote learning initiative and a COVID connected care pilot, Pai said, adding such programs would allow the agency to use federal funds to support in-home equipment for patients and students affected by the pandemic. The agency's Connected Care pilot remains in the rulemaking stage, and it sought comment on whether the program should subsidize patient monitoring equipment and broadband to the home (see 1906190013). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called the gift waivers a smart step. "But let’s not confuse generosity for justice," she said. "We need a national plan to ensure that everyone is connected during these unprecedented days." She wants the FCC to use its "universal service powers" to provide hotspot loans to students caught in the homework gap, and connectivity for telehealth services to support treating coronavirus patients and those quarantined. Stakeholders for USF programs supporting anchor institutions expect a spike in telehealth (see 2003060036) and online learning (see 2003170014) this year. The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition asked the FCC to waive the gift rules, in a letter Tuesday (see 2003170014). The gift ban was in place to prevent undue influence in the competitive bidding process, SHLB Executive Director John Windhausen told us. SHLB views this as "a timely step,” he emailed Wednesday. “The coronavirus is putting online learning and telemedicine in high demand ... We hope the FCC will continue to be proactive.”
The FCC should act quickly to help school districts give students the devices and connectivity they need to learn online while schools are closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks, educational technology stakeholders said in recent interviews. An estimated 6 million to 12 million K-12 schoolchildren don't have residential broadband. Some school districts are postponing online classes until all their students can be connected.
The FCC should act quickly to help school districts give students the devices and connectivity they need to learn online while schools are closed due to COVID-19 outbreaks, educational technology stakeholders said in recent interviews. An estimated 6 million to 12 million K-12 schoolchildren don't have residential broadband. Some school districts are postponing online classes until all their students can be connected.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai got pledges from top ISPs, including all major carriers and cable operators plus telcos, to keep everyone online for the next 60 days amid the coronavirus. Pai spoke with the companies Thursday, he said Friday; see our report here. Companies and trade associations endorsed the pledge. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks said that's a good start, but the agency needs to do more.