Inmate calling services rates would be cut, video relay service compensation rates extended through the end of 2021, extensions for providers to implement caller ID authentication requirements could be shortened, and smaller providers would receive regulatory relief if all items on the tentative agenda for the FCC's May 20 meeting are approved (see 2104280073). Drafts are expected to be released Thursday, said a spokesperson.
The enrollment process for the FCC's $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program is "expected to begin soon," said Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Associate Chief Ed Bartholme, during an agency webinar Tuesday. The EBB program is "large, and there are many moving parts," said CGB Chief Patrick Webre. Jaymie Gustafson, Universal Service Administrative Co. outreach director, demoed the online enrollment process. FCC staff fielded audience-submitted questions about eligibility and how to apply. Some participating providers may use an alternative method for verifying household eligibility, said Jessica Campbell, Wireline Bureau attorney-adviser for the Telecommunications Access Policy Division, so "check with the provider first." Wireline Bureau staff urged eligible service providers to participate in the program so consumers in their area can sign up for the benefit. "We're still continuing to accept and review provider applications," Campbell said. The application flow is "the same for the Lifeline and EBB programs," Gustafson said. A forthcoming outreach toolkit, which includes social media and printable content, will be available to advocacy groups and officials interested in promoting the program to their communities, said CGB Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division Chief Lyle Ishida. Materials will be available in at least a dozen languages and accessibility formats, Ishida said.
The enrollment process for the FCC's $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program is "expected to begin soon," said Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Associate Chief Ed Bartholme, during an agency webinar Tuesday. The EBB program is "large, and there are many moving parts," said CGB Chief Patrick Webre. Jaymie Gustafson, Universal Service Administrative Co. outreach director, demoed the online enrollment process. FCC staff fielded audience-submitted questions about eligibility and how to apply. Some participating providers may use an alternative method for verifying household eligibility, said Jessica Campbell, Wireline Bureau attorney-adviser for the Telecommunications Access Policy Division, so "check with the provider first." Wireline Bureau staff urged eligible service providers to participate in the program so consumers in their area can sign up for the benefit. "We're still continuing to accept and review provider applications," Campbell said. The application flow is "the same for the Lifeline and EBB programs," Gustafson said. A forthcoming outreach toolkit, which includes social media and printable content, will be available to advocacy groups and officials interested in promoting the program to their communities, said CGB Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division Chief Lyle Ishida. Materials will be available in at least a dozen languages and accessibility formats, Ishida said.
Education advocates and industry groups disagreed whether the FCC should allow retroactive reimbursements and set technology standards for schools and libraries in the $7.1 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (see 2104140041). Replies were due Friday in docket 21-93. Schools that "made the decision earlier on to invest in connectivity for remote learning" should be reimbursed for purchases since the pandemic's onset, said Incompas. AT&T said retroactive payments would put schools that couldn't afford that at the "back of the line," a view echoed by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. Prioritizing retroactive reimbursements would help "most likely more well-off schools and libraries," said ACA Connects (see 2104120052): It "should only be allowed for eligible purchases that have not been funded by any other source." USTelecom and NTCA agreed. Reject calls to allow ECF funding for self-provisioning, said Verizon: "Because self-provisioning requires large upfront expenditures, the schools receiving" that support "would consume a disproportionate share of the ECF and leave too little support for other schools." WTA agreed: This would lead to "substantial delays in the availability of eligible services that are needed immediately." Self-provisioned networks are the "most cost-effective" for students without residential broadband, said groups including New America’s Open Technology Institute, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Center for Rural Strategies and Public Knowledge. Avoid minimum service standards because "there is no consensus on the appropriate capacity needed for remote learning," said the Wireless ISP Association: "To narrow the fund’s scope to include only those services offering certain broadband speeds could have the unintended consequence of penalizing students who live in areas" with slower speeds. NCTA and GCI Communication agreed. CTIA said questions about "adequacy of mobile broadband for remote learning are unsupported by the record and flatly contrary to the experience of millions of students during the pandemic." The Competitive Carriers Association, T-Mobile and UScellular said similar. Defining "connected device" should be done in a "flexible, technologically neutral way," said Apple.
Education advocates and industry groups disagreed whether the FCC should allow retroactive reimbursements and set technology standards for schools and libraries in the $7.1 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (see 2104140041). Replies were due Friday in docket 21-93. Schools that "made the decision earlier on to invest in connectivity for remote learning" should be reimbursed for purchases since the pandemic's onset, said Incompas. AT&T said retroactive payments would put schools that couldn't afford that at the "back of the line," a view echoed by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. Prioritizing retroactive reimbursements would help "most likely more well-off schools and libraries," said ACA Connects (see 2104120052): It "should only be allowed for eligible purchases that have not been funded by any other source." USTelecom and NTCA agreed. Reject calls to allow ECF funding for self-provisioning, said Verizon: "Because self-provisioning requires large upfront expenditures, the schools receiving" that support "would consume a disproportionate share of the ECF and leave too little support for other schools." WTA agreed: This would lead to "substantial delays in the availability of eligible services that are needed immediately." Self-provisioned networks are the "most cost-effective" for students without residential broadband, said groups including New America’s Open Technology Institute, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Center for Rural Strategies and Public Knowledge. Avoid minimum service standards because "there is no consensus on the appropriate capacity needed for remote learning," said the Wireless ISP Association: "To narrow the fund’s scope to include only those services offering certain broadband speeds could have the unintended consequence of penalizing students who live in areas" with slower speeds. NCTA and GCI Communication agreed. CTIA said questions about "adequacy of mobile broadband for remote learning are unsupported by the record and flatly contrary to the experience of millions of students during the pandemic." The Competitive Carriers Association, T-Mobile and UScellular said similar. Defining "connected device" should be done in a "flexible, technologically neutral way," said Apple.
The FCC's newest member lent his general support to the agency's thrust, following other recent supportive comments by Commissioner Brendan Carr (see 2104220036). The agency under acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has been focused on "doing things that just need doing," said Commissioner Nathan Simington during a virtual FCBA keynote Friday. Rosenworcel is "really managing the agency effectively," Simington said: "If you look at our voting records since I've joined up, there's a lot of unanimous decisions." There's a "lot of work we can get done," he said, and "that's exactly what we've been doing all year."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture was asked to be more flexible on ReConnect, during a virtual listening session Tuesday. Consider changing more program loans to grants, said Yurok Tribe Council member Lana McCovey. "The repayment process would be hard to do." Akiak Technology CEO Kevin Hamer agreed: "The only way that we're going to get access as an unserved area is through infrastructure grants, not loans." Exclude low earth orbit satellites, Hamer said. Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government Project Manager Dylan Conduzzi asked for reconsideration of satellite technology: "There are no other back-haul options available to us." Allow more flexibility in the grant application process, said Raymond Concho, Acoma Pueblo transportation planner. "We just don't have the matching funds, especially after the past year." Guiding principles from tribal leaders in recent months included requiring tribal government resolutions of support for broadband applicants, increasing flexibility for applicants, enabling tribal governments to serve their own lands, allowing tribes to certify whether they're served or underserved, and requiring compliance with tribal government regulations for all broadband recipients serving tribal lands, USDA staff said. Comments on eligibility requirements are due April 27 (see 2102260044).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture was asked to be more flexible on ReConnect, during a virtual listening session Tuesday. Consider changing more program loans to grants, said Yurok Tribe Council member Lana McCovey. "The repayment process would be hard to do." Akiak Technology CEO Kevin Hamer agreed: "The only way that we're going to get access as an unserved area is through infrastructure grants, not loans." Exclude low earth orbit satellites, Hamer said. Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government Project Manager Dylan Conduzzi asked for reconsideration of satellite technology: "There are no other back-haul options available to us." Allow more flexibility in the grant application process, said Raymond Concho, Acoma Pueblo transportation planner. "We just don't have the matching funds, especially after the past year." Guiding principles from tribal leaders in recent months included requiring tribal government resolutions of support for broadband applicants, increasing flexibility for applicants, enabling tribal governments to serve their own lands, allowing tribes to certify whether they're served or underserved, and requiring compliance with tribal government regulations for all broadband recipients serving tribal lands, USDA staff said. Comments on eligibility requirements are due April 27 (see 2102260044).
The application filing window for the second round of the FCC’s COVID-19 telehealth program is scheduled to open at the end of the month (see 2104150036), but policy experts warn the evaluation metrics could cause healthcare providers and facilities in need to lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding.
The application filing window for the second round of the FCC’s COVID-19 telehealth program is scheduled to open at the end of the month (see 2104150036), but policy experts warn the evaluation metrics could cause healthcare providers and facilities in need to lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding.