With federal broadband dollars on the way, Regulatory Commission of Alaska staff disagree with using Alaska USF (AUSF) to subsidize high-speed internet, said RCA Common Carrier Specialist David Parrish at a virtual commission meeting Wednesday. The commission could finalize an AUSF update rulemaking (R-21-001) by August under a staff memo outlining a tentative schedule, he said. Chairman Bob Pickett said he’s “looking forward to getting this process moving again.”

The California Public Utilities Commission set aside a week, Feb. 14-18, for a hearing on updating state USF contribution. The virtual hearing starts at 10 a.m. PST every day, Chief Administrative Law Judge Anne Simon ordered Thursday in docket R.21-03-002. Carriers and consumers groups raised concerns with a commission proposal last year to switch to a per-access line surcharge for public purpose programs (see 2112010014).

Consumers' Research sought a 14-day extension, until Feb. 9, to file its initial brief for its challenge to the FCC Q4 USF contribution factor, in a motion Thursday before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in case 21-3886. It said the motion was unopposed by the FCC and intervening groups. It "makes little sense" to "push forward on an extensive brief raising numerous very significant constitutional issues about a multi-billion-dollar government program when the case may be stayed anyway," Consumers' Research said. The FCC recently sought to have the case be held in abeyance until it completes its report to Congress on the future of USF (see 2201110075).

Reject USF's Q1 contribution factor and set it at zero, said Consumers' Research, Cause Based Commerce and others in comments posted Wednesday in FCC docket 96-45 (see 2112130050). It's "an unconstitutional tax raised and spent by an unaccountable federal agency," the groups said, asking the agency to "do the same for all future proposed Universal Service contribution factors due to the illegality of this entire scheme and process." Consumers' Research challenged the Q4 contribution factor in October (see 2110050056).

Industry and advocacy groups are preparing comments by the Jan. 18 deadline for an FCC notice of inquiry on its report to Congress on the future of USF (see 2112160074). The document is due by August on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s impact on existing programs and what they should look like moving forward.

California Public Utilities Commissioners voted 5-0 to deny LTD Broadband the application approval it needed to get about $187.5 million in Rural Digital Opportunities Fund (RDOF) support over 10 years. At a virtual meeting Thursday, commissioners also by unanimous consent cleared multiple California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grants that LTD and others said partially overlapped areas where they won RDOF support (see 2112140019, 2112090011 and 2112080046). The CPUC got more comments Wednesday on a plan to shift to connections-based state USF contributions.

Oklahoma’s transition to a connections-based state USF contribution mechanism is “so far, so good,” said Brandy Wreath, the Oklahoma USF (OUSF) administrator, in an interview. Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) members ordered the interim change in August to try to stabilize the OUSF while parties work on writing recommendations for the legislature (see 2108050049). In Tuesday comments at the California Public Utilities Commission, wireless companies and consumer groups panned a staff recommendation to shift to a flat, per-line surcharge.

Senate Commerce Committee members’ treatment of Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn during her Wednesday confirmation hearing is likely to sharply divide along party lines, in sharp contrast to a potential overwhelming bipartisan panel vote to advance commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s reconfirmation to the full chamber (see 2111300064), lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. NTIA administrator nominee Alan Davidson may also get some senators’ attention during the hearing but is likely to avoid harsh questioning due to expectation that Sohn will be the main focus. The hearing will immediately follow the 10:15 a.m. Senate Commerce executive meeting in 253 Russell.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion to intervene in Consumers Research's challenge of the FCC's USF Q4 contribution factor, in an order posted Thursday in case 21-3886 (see 2111010070). Filing the petition were the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Center for Media Justice, Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, USTelcom, NTCA and the Competitive Carriers Association. The groups are allowed to file intervener briefs and "any determination regarding oral argument, including time allotted, if any, to the intervenors are reserved to the ultimate merits panel," the order said.

Expand the USF contribution base to include "broadband internet access revenues," Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition board Chair and former FCC Commissioner Rachelle Chong asked FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington and staff, said a filing posted Friday in docket 13-184. SHLB backed the use of E-rate funding for cybersecurity expenses and said it's "assembling a new group to promote anchor institution broadband connectivity." The group noted it filed a motion to intervene to back the FCC in Consumers' Research's USF challenge (see 2111010070).