Ariel completed its acquisition of 52.5% of video relay service provider Sorenson, the companies announced Monday (see 2203230044). The deal will "enable us to ... improve the overall Deaf and hard-of-hearing communication experience, and accelerate [research and development] and next-generation technology investments to promote functional equivalency across the diverse communities we serve," said Sorenson CEO Jorge Rodriguez.
Frontier asked the U.S. District Court of Connecticut for a default judgment against Mobi Telecom and its owner, Davinder Singh, on its claim that Singh and his company facilitated illegal robocalls, said a motion posted Tuesday in case 3:22-cv-00218 (see 2202090054). Mobi did "nothing to stop the robocallers from using its service, despite receiving notices and being fully aware of the fact that they are utilizing its networks," Frontier said, noting the company "has failed and refused to appear, plead or otherwise defend this action." Mobi Telecom couldn't be reached for comment.
The FCC plans its second virtual public hearing on consumer broadband labels on April 7 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 22-2 (see 2203110064). Speakers will include consumers, experts from nonprofit organizations, and academics, who will focus on "how to make the broadband labels useful" and the "specific information consumers need." The hearing will also focus on research on how consumers "interpret information and make informed decisions."
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Monday the FCC signed memorandums of understanding to share information and cooperate on robocall investigations with six more states and Washington, D.C. Rosenworcel wants agreements with every jurisdiction (see 2202170063). “The FCC and these state leaders share a common enemy: robocall scammers targeting consumers and businesses around the country,” she said. The agency reached agreements with Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey and Wyoming.
The FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee will meet virtually April 26, 1-3 p.m. EDT, the FCC said Friday. Among the topics will be a recommendation on consumer broadband labels, the FCC said.
The FCC Wireline Bureau extended through June 30 its waiver of Lifeline program document requirements for reverification, recertification, general de-enrollment, and income for subscribers in rural areas on tribal lands, said an order Friday in docket 11-42 (see 2203170030). The order noted this "will likely be the bureau's final extension of these waivers."
“While there is more work to be done,” the Cross-Sector Resiliency Forum has been a success two years after it started, representatives of CTIA, the Edison Electric Institute, NCTA and USTelecom told aides to FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks. The forum “continues to facilitate the sharing of service expectations and planning needs to enable better coordination during emergency and disaster events,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 11-60. The forum “plans to reconvene in late spring 2022 to assess progress” and “prepare for the 2022 hurricane and wildfire seasons.”
The FCC will open a third application filing window April 28 to May 13 for the Emergency Connectivity Fund, said a news release Wednesday. Several groups made the request (see 2203160058). The FCC will award "at least $1 billion" in support, it said, noting this "will likely be the last opportunity" for eligible applicants to seek funding. The service delivery date is Dec. 31, 2023, for third round applicants and "any subsequent filing windows covering funding for purchases made" between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2023, said a public notice in docket 21-93. The FCC also announced a 12th round of funding commitments that included $49 million for applicants during the first application filing window and $19 million for second round applicants. The additional funding window "will be a huge help for schools, libraries, and the millions of people who do not have affordable internet access," said Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition Executive Director John Windhausen, whose group petitioned for a third filing window in January: "The next round of ECF funding will extend and expand many of the existing school and library ECF programs and open the door for more eligible anchors to connect their communities."
The FTC and Frontier will go to trial Sept. 6 on the agency's claim the telco misrepresented its DSL speeds to customers, pending the FTC's review of a proposed settlement Frontier presented, wrote U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Judge Gary Klausner in a Friday order in case 2:21-cv-04155 (see 2110040066). Frontier didn't comment on its proposed settlement. The case was originally scheduled to go to trial in July.
The FCC International Bureau wants comments by April 18, replies May 3, in docket 22-129 on Windstream's petition for declaratory ruling that it may exceed the 25% cap for foreign ownership as part of its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said a public notice in Monday's Daily Digest. Windstream told the FCC in its petition that it would have "an aggregate indirect foreign equity interest of 66.29%" after completing the proposed second step of the process. Windstream also sought advance approval to "be up to and including 100% foreign-owned in the aggregate," the notice said.