Industry parties and others continued to support FCC proposals to Lifeline USF subsidies to broadband service and revamp administrative oversight, but divisions remain over specifics. In reply comments filed in docket 11-42 responding to initial comments on the FCC’s NPRM (see 1509010073 and 1509040045), parties generally backed giving low-income consumers expanded choice and shifting responsibility for verifying Lifeline subscriber eligibility from telecom carriers to a third party. But there was disagreement over whether the FCC should establish minimum Lifeline standards for broadband/voice service. Numerous tribal groups also filed reply comments urging the FCC to retain and even increase enhanced Lifeline tribal support.

More wireless carriers weighed in on Lifeline reform in comments posted by the FCC (see 1509010073) in docket 10-90 Wednesday. Sprint urged the FCC to use a light hand in imposing new regulations as it moves toward new Lifeline rules. “The Lifeline market -- particularly for wireless Lifeline services -- is robustly competitive, with wireless service offers improving significantly and steadily over the past several years even in the face of higher regulatory compliance costs, higher risk, and higher churn,” Sprint said. While the voice-only support amount should remain at $9.25 monthly per line, a $9.25 subsidy for broadband service, with no subsidy for a broadband device, “will be too low to generate a meaningful increase in broadband subscription by Lifeline customers,” Sprint said. Proposals to cap the Lifeline program are “premature” and should be abandoned by the commission, the carrier said. The FCC also “should decline to adopt any proposal to recover program administration costs exclusively from Lifeline service providers,” Sprint said. “As is the case for every other federal Universal Service program, all Lifeline program costs should be recovered through the general USF contribution factor assessed on all contributors.” A group of wireless eligible telecom carriers, each with fewer than 2,000 Lifeline customers, urged the FCC to cut red tape in the program. “Lifeline providers currently face significant regulatory compliance burdens, including monthly reporting (FCC Form 497), annual reporting (FCC Forms 481 and 555), the need to develop and modify Lifeline enrollment forms, the requirement to review and process certification forms and eligibility documentation during enrollment, the need to upload and manage subscriber information in the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), the requirement to re-certify all of their Lifeline customers each year, and the need to respond to USAC audits including Payment Quality Assurance (PQA) reviews and other inquiries,” they said. While the FCC is recommending some streamlining of the rules, it's proposing additional regulatory requirements, the small carriers said. “This burden falls disproportionately on small carriers, who cannot spread the regulatory costs of Lifeline compliance -- many of which are fixed costs -- across a large customer base.” Carolina West Wireless, Cellular Network Partnership, East Kentucky Network, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, Union Telephone and Union Wireless signed the filing.

More wireless carriers weighed in on Lifeline reform in comments posted by the FCC (see 1509010073) in docket 10-90 Wednesday. Sprint urged the FCC to use a light hand in imposing new regulations as it moves toward new Lifeline rules. “The Lifeline market -- particularly for wireless Lifeline services -- is robustly competitive, with wireless service offers improving significantly and steadily over the past several years even in the face of higher regulatory compliance costs, higher risk, and higher churn,” Sprint said. While the voice-only support amount should remain at $9.25 monthly per line, a $9.25 subsidy for broadband service, with no subsidy for a broadband device, “will be too low to generate a meaningful increase in broadband subscription by Lifeline customers,” Sprint said. Proposals to cap the Lifeline program are “premature” and should be abandoned by the commission, the carrier said. The FCC also “should decline to adopt any proposal to recover program administration costs exclusively from Lifeline service providers,” Sprint said. “As is the case for every other federal Universal Service program, all Lifeline program costs should be recovered through the general USF contribution factor assessed on all contributors.” A group of wireless eligible telecom carriers, each with fewer than 2,000 Lifeline customers, urged the FCC to cut red tape in the program. “Lifeline providers currently face significant regulatory compliance burdens, including monthly reporting (FCC Form 497), annual reporting (FCC Forms 481 and 555), the need to develop and modify Lifeline enrollment forms, the requirement to review and process certification forms and eligibility documentation during enrollment, the need to upload and manage subscriber information in the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), the requirement to re-certify all of their Lifeline customers each year, and the need to respond to USAC audits including Payment Quality Assurance (PQA) reviews and other inquiries,” they said. While the FCC is recommending some streamlining of the rules, it's proposing additional regulatory requirements, the small carriers said. “This burden falls disproportionately on small carriers, who cannot spread the regulatory costs of Lifeline compliance -- many of which are fixed costs -- across a large customer base.” Carolina West Wireless, Cellular Network Partnership, East Kentucky Network, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, Union Telephone and Union Wireless signed the filing.

The Obama administration’s Broadband Opportunity Council later this year could help improve wide-ranging government efforts to expand high-speed Internet access to Americans, but it should follow up annually to ensure the initiatives are sustained, panelists said at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation event Friday. Although the federal government can be a catalyst, localities will have to do much heavy lifting to remove barriers to investment, with the private sector providing most of the capital, they said. The BOC is an inter-agency group assigned by President Barack Obama to make recommendations by Aug. 20 to spur broadband deployment and adoption. Comments to the group are due by June 10.

The FCC has much left to do to overhaul USF funding and intercarrier compensation (ICC), panelists said at an FCBA seminar Wednesday on reforms since the 2010 National Broadband Plan (NBP). High-cost USF support for generally small, rural rate-of-return carriers and Lifeline USF await major changes, they said. Overhaul of high-cost support for larger price cap carriers and E-rate support for schools and libraries are further along, but questions remain; and numerous ICC disputes continue to bubble, panelists said.

The FCC has much left to do to overhaul USF funding and intercarrier compensation (ICC), panelists said at an FCBA seminar Wednesday on reforms since the 2010 National Broadband Plan (NBP). High-cost USF support for generally small, rural rate-of-return carriers and Lifeline USF await major changes, they said. Overhaul of high-cost support for larger price cap carriers and E-rate support for schools and libraries are further along, but questions remain; and numerous ICC disputes continue to bubble, panelists said.

Lawmakers in both chambers are preparing a letter to the FCC to address one of NTCA’s USF priorities on stand-alone broadband, reviving a bicameral, bipartisan letter sent to the FCC last Congress. NTCA also received promises from two lawmakers Tuesday that they will take the group’s priorities to heart, with legislation if need be. Prominent topics included overhaul of the USF, call completion problems and net neutrality, a controversial and partisan item in Congress.

Lawmakers in both chambers are preparing a letter to the FCC to address one of NTCA’s USF priorities on stand-alone broadband, reviving a bicameral, bipartisan letter sent to the FCC last Congress. NTCA also received promises from two lawmakers Tuesday that they will take the group’s priorities to heart, with legislation if need be. Prominent topics included overhaul of the USF, call completion problems and net neutrality, a controversial and partisan item in Congress.

The FCC should set a timetable and move forward with USF contribution overhaul, Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committee counsel Andrew Brown, of Levine, Blaszak, told Nicholas Degani, an aide to Commissioner Ajit Pai, and Travis Litman, an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, in separate meetings March 31, according to an ex parte filing posted in docket 09-51 Thursday. The group represents large businesses in various industries that purchase telecommunications and IT services. The agency made significant progress in USF spending in its 2011 overhaul and temporarily stabilized the fund's size, Brown and consultant Susan Gately told the aides, according to the filing. The agency never finished the updates because it hasn’t dealt with contributions to the fund, the filling said. The fund’s contribution factor will continue to rise and December’s $1.5 billion increase in the E-rate annual spending cap (see 1412110049) threatens the stability of the fund, the ad hoc committee said. An agency federal-state joint board is charged with recommending by Tuesday whether broadband customers should pay into USF, though a footnote in the net neutrality order said the recommendation may be slightly delayed (see 1503120053).

The FCC should set a timetable and move forward with USF contribution overhaul, Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committee counsel Andrew Brown, of Levine, Blaszak, told Nicholas Degani, an aide to Commissioner Ajit Pai, and Travis Litman, an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, in separate meetings March 31, according to an ex parte filing posted in docket 09-51 Thursday. The group represents large businesses in various industries that purchase telecommunications and IT services. The agency made significant progress in USF spending in its 2011 overhaul and temporarily stabilized the fund's size, Brown and consultant Susan Gately told the aides, according to the filing. The agency never finished the updates because it hasn’t dealt with contributions to the fund, the filling said. The fund’s contribution factor will continue to rise and December’s $1.5 billion increase in the E-rate annual spending cap (see 1412110049) threatens the stability of the fund, the ad hoc committee said. An agency federal-state joint board is charged with recommending by Tuesday whether broadband customers should pay into USF, though a footnote in the net neutrality order said the recommendation may be slightly delayed (see 1503120053).