The FCC committed more than $20 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Wednesday. The new funding will support more than 90 schools, eight libraries and five consortiums, said a news release. Also Wednesday, the Wireline Bureau reminded program participants about document retention and production requirements. Applicants must maintain equipment inventories provided to students or library patrons, records of services purchased, and documentation supporting how they determine unmet needs, said a public notice.

NARUC raised concerns about Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I support in areas covered by rejected applicant, in separate meetings with aides to all four FCC commissioners. "Any equitable solution would assure that funds awarded for service in specific states remain available to support service in those same states," the group said, per an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-126. It encouraged the FCC to refer the issue to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service for a recommendation. The group approved a resolution on the matter earlier this month (see 2302150032).

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition asked the FCC to extend until May 1 the rural healthcare program filing window. Many of the group's members participating in the program are "experiencing unique challenges" with the Universal Service Administrative Co.'s MyPortal updates, SHLB said in a letter posted Monday in docket 02-60. USAC is also "still processing a significant number" of FY 2022 applications. The group noted that USAC's decision to report FY 2022 progress based on forms processed rather than funding amounts requested "arguably overstates progress" and "suggests USAC may indeed be de-prioritizing the processing of applications that have large dollar amounts."

Inmate calling service providers and consumer advocacy organizations disagreed on several petitions for reconsideration filed by United Church of Christ, Public Knowledge, NCIC Inmate Communications, a coalition of accessibility advocacy organizations and Hamilton Relay (see 2108300062). UCC's Media Justice Ministry and PK sought reconsideration of certain ancillary fees, saying the "likelihood of abuse is strong given the past behavior of regulated companies," in joint comments in docket 12-375. The groups said facilities shouldn't receive commissions because they aren't "part of the cost" of providing telecom services to incarcerated individuals. The National Sheriffs’ Association disagreed, saying security and administrative costs "benefit the public ... as the means to ensure ICS is not used for illegal purposes." Securus said the FCC should address site commissions in its pending rulemaking. "It would be premature and inefficient for the commission to act on petitioners’ requests while these same matters are still pending and open for comment," said ViaPath. Hamilton Relay said there "should be no correctional facility ... in the United States that lacks access to relay services" and the FCC should "reaffirm the obligation of ICS providers to work collaboratively" with telecom relay service providers. NCIC sought additional time for providers to deploy relay services. ClearCaptions backed Hamilton's request that TRS providers update an incarcerated individual's information within 30 days of "written notification," saying implementing enterprise registration would solve the issue "in its entirety." A coalition of advocacy organizations, including Telecom for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., National Association of the Deaf, and Gallaudet University's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, backed all petitions but opposed NCIC's request.

An FCC order denying petitions from T-Mobile and IDT on a 2020 IP captioned telephone services compensation decision and joint request from six IP CTS providers to maintain the 2021-22 TRS Fund year compensation level is effective March 24, said a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register. Commissioners adopted the item in December (see 2212210054).

NTCA urged the FCC to act on implementing technical standards for non-IP caller authentication in a meeting with Wireline Bureau staff (see 2301240052). A delay in addressing IP interconnection would "perversely perpetuate the existence of non-IP facilities that act as a considerable gap in the Stir/Shaken ecosystem," the group said, per an ex parte filing Tuesday in docket 17-97. The FCC should "recognize that inaction here is the true impediment to the IP transition and widespread caller-ID authentication," it said, saying a non-IP mandate would be unnecessary if the commission "took meaningful action to facilitate a transition away from non-IP interconnection arrangements."

LTD Broadband urged the FCC Thursday to act on its application for review of its denied Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction long-form application. The company noted in a letter to the agency that it filed its request six months ago and there has been no indication whether the FCC "plans to establish a process seeking public comment on this matter." LTD said it's "harmed by being in limbo, unable to move forward with its plans to complete additional financing arrangements and promptly commence build out or, alternatively, to seek judicial relief" from the Wireline Bureau’s "unwarranted rejection" of its application. The company previously submitted a redacted version of its application and asked the commission to make it "immediately available to the public" for further action (see 2302130050).

The FCC Wireline Bureau extended until Feb. 28 the deadline for certain providers to submit their annual Form 555, in an order Monday in docket 11-42. Lumen sought a waiver, citing an issue with the Universal Service Administrative Co.'s bulk upload process. The bureau extended the waiver to other similarly affected filers.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and Next Century Cities asked the FCC to reconsider its decision to collect affordable connectivity program data on an aggregate basis rather than at the subscriber level (see 2301120056). The decision "falls short" of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's requirements and "undermines the overall integrity of the program," said a petition for reconsideration posted Monday in docket 21-450. The groups said subscriber-level data is "critical for informing efforts by federal and state agencies, public interest groups, and non-profit organizations to target public awareness and enrollment support strategies," adding the deferment of when the data collection will start is "arbitrary."

Incompas CEO Chip Pickering and others from the group laid out their policy priorities in a meeting with FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said a filing posted Friday in 17-84 and other dockets. “The Commission can further promote competition in the broadband market by implementing a series of targeted reforms to its pole attachment and replacement rules that ensures a fair and equitable allocation of replacement costs between pole owners and new Attachers,” Incompas said: “Our members’ deployments continue to be stymied by pole owners’ unreasonable pole attachment and replacement practices, including denials and excessive delays for pole access and the imposition of unsubstantiated costs for pole replacements.” On spectrum, the group urged action on 12 GHz. “This band has no federal encumbrances, does not require an auction, and can be put to immediate use once the Commission updates its rules,” Incompas said.