The $8.3 billion annual USF "may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify, or otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by" Huawei and ZTE, the FCC announced Tuesday afternoon. The Public Safety Bureau designated the Chinese telecom gear makers as covered under the commission's 5-0 November ban on buying from companies posing a national security threat.
FCC employees will continue to work remotely at least until the agency completes its move into its new headquarters near Union Station in Washington, with that move to be completed by Aug. 27, said an agencywide staff memo Monday, the commission told us. Whether the 900-some workers at the current headquarters will report to the new building immediately after Aug. 27 hasn't been determined, it said.
The FCC stopped taking COVID-19 telehealth applications, it announced Thursday. "Based on the applications received to date, demand for funding exceeds available" money. Some $200 million was allotted. The FCC doesn't "want to impose burdens on health care providers who may prepare new applications that cannot be funded under the current appropriation."
The FCC will consider rules for the vertical location accuracy of wireless calls to 911 and broadband mapping at commissioners’ July 16 meeting, as expected; see here. Also on the tentative agenda, an order addressing supply chain security and equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE.
APCO 2020 is canceled, the group emailed early Tuesday afternoon. Experts had said holding the annual summer convention planned for Aug. 2-5 in Orlando could pose public health problems, amid COVID-19. See our report here.
Don't disconnect consumers and small businesses for not paying bills in the month of July, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asked service providers, the agency announced Friday. He wants customers to stay connected amid the pandemic even after his Keep Americans Connected pledge ends June 30. He also wrote Congress seeking legislation to this end, covering "the coming months," the commission said.
Team Telecom recommended the FCC deny OK for the portion of a Pacific Light Cable Network undersea cable system that would directly link the U.S. and Hong Kong, DOJ announced. The commission declined to comment.
The California justice department submitted final rules for implementing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by Monday night’s Office of Administrative Law deadline, Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) said Tuesday. The AG office just released the rules submitted for OAL review.
The White House will “hopefully” make an announcement before 5 p.m. EDT Thursday on an executive order from President Donald Trump, said White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. A draft executive order seeks to clarify the scope of the tech industry’s content liability shield, potentially exposing platforms to DOJ and FTC scrutiny. Various shields allow platforms to censor conservative voices, McEnany said. The intention is to remove those shields and shed light on platform decisionmaking, she added.
President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday “pertaining to social media,” a White House spokesperson told reporters Wednesday evening. Another spokesperson previously indicated Trump would sign the order Wednesday night. The White House didn’t provide details on what the EO would do.