Lifeline eligible telecom carriers offered the FCC an alternative to revoking Texas’ opt-out certification from the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). The National Lifeline Association (NaLA) proposed revoking opt-out to remedy a state process ETCs say is preventing reimbursement (see 2007020033). In comments posted Monday in docket 11-42, TracFone agreed with NaLA that the Texas system doesn’t comply with NLAD opt-out requirements or federal Lifeline rules. Rather than revoke the PUC’s opt-out, the FCC should clarify that the Texas low-income discount administrator’s (LIDA) real-time verification process using an application programming interface between LIDA and ETCs can be used for reimbursement, rather than rely on an end-of-month report that doesn’t include subscribers who enroll in the second half of the month, TracFone said. Allowing only the report “has resulted in Texas ETCs being the subject of unwarranted audits and demands for return of USF support by” Universal Service Administrative Co., and FCC probes and enforcement actions, it said. The current situation harms Lifeline ETCs and customers, but revoking opt-out could cause disruption, so clarify the real-time API approach may be used, Q Link Wireless asked. If the FCC won’t revoke opt-out status, condition Texas keeping it, said TruConnect. “The current trajectory will result not only in improper underpayments to ETCs, but also enforcement and audit actions based upon erroneous legal and factual conclusions. These results abuse the dwindling group of carriers still willing and able to provide critical Lifeline services in Texas.” The Texas PUC is looking into the problems, saying ETCs should have come to the state agency first (see 2007100027).
Colorado is reworking its method for collecting local 911 fees. Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed HB-1293 Friday to replace a system in which 58 local 911 governing bodies set their own surcharges and must ask the Public Utilities Commission for approval to charge more than 70 cents. The new law requires the PUC by Jan. 1 to adjust the cap annually for inflation, and establishes a separate statewide 911 surcharge, up to 50 cents monthly on phone bills, to be distributed to the local 911 bodies based on the size of their system. Prepaid wireless will be treated like landline, wireless and VoIP. The drawback to the old approach was that rural and mountain communities with small populations didn’t have enough subscribers to produce enough revenue for the size of their 911 systems, “which don't scale well at the small end and oftentimes have to be bigger than their population would indicate due to tourist traffic,” state 911 Program Manager Daryl Branson emailed Monday. The new approach will provide more funding to all local 911 governing bodies, with proportionally more support to rural and mountain areas, he said. HB-1293 is expected to increase revenue to local governments by $3.2 million in FY 2020-21, $6.5 million the following fiscal year, said a June 8 fiscal note by Colorado Legislative Council staff.
Online “booth fees” for 2020 CEDIA Expo Virtual are $750-$7,500, said an Emerald X presentation for prospective exhibitors. Companies have a choice to opt out of the virtual show and get a refund over the next 30-60 days for registration fees they paid for the physical 2020 show. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the physical show in Denver. Companies also can have a portion of their 2020 funds applied to the mid-September virtual show and the remainder toward the next scheduled physical show, Sept. 1-3, 2021, in Indianapolis, Eric Bodley, CEO of Future Ready Solutions, told us Thursday, calling the options "fair." Show owner Emerald canceled the in-person event due to COVID-19 (see 2005280029). CEDIA Expo 2020 was scheduled for Denver Sept. 8-12; its virtual counterpart is Sept. 15-17.
The Kentucky Public Service Commission increased state USF payments to eligible wireless carriers providing unlimited voice to Lifeline customers. Effective Aug. 1, monthly payments will be $8 per customer through July 31, 2021, a $4.50 increase, the PSC said about Friday's order in docket 2016-00059. The commission will review the increase’s impact March 1 but said Kentucky USF can sustain it for slightly more than a year before the surcharge would have to be increased. The PSC said increasing payments for more data “would deplete the KUSF in the absence of an increased surcharge, and that the benefits of temporarily providing payments for additional voice outweigh the benefits of providing payments for additional data.” Some Kentucky Lifeline providers asked in May comments for higher payments to provide more data (see 2005260063).
A fresh Oregon USF law mooted Public Utility Commission action on USF contribution. The PUC closed docket AR-615 on requiring contributions from interconnected VoIP providers Thursday, after Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed SB-1603 Tuesday to apply the state USF surcharge to VoIP and wireless providers. The law reduces the revenue-based rate to 6% from 8.5% and caps the state USF at $28 million annually. It directs the PUC to transfer up to $5 million from state USF to a new broadband fund. The Oregon law’s requirement to collect from VoIP appears consistent with federal law, said Voice on the Net Coalition Executive Director Glenn Richards. CTIA referred us Thursday to its June 24 testimony opposing the bill. "This legislation would result in wireless consumers paying in excess of $35 million annually" on state USF surcharges, the wireless association wrote.
Frontier Communications will pay $900,000 to Washington state to end an investigation of hidden fees and advertised internet speeds, Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) said Wednesday. The payment resolves a 2018 probe into whether Frontier adequately disclosed fees, and if the company misled subscribers about internet speeds. Frontier recently sold its Washington business to Ziply Fiber (see 2005190009). The seller agreed to be more transparent about all fees and actual speeds. While Frontier pays the $900,000, the injunctive provisions on fees apply to the successor company, a Ferguson spokesperson said. The speed commitment doesn't apply to Ziply if it fulfills a Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission sale condition to spend $50 million on infrastructure enhancements, she said. Frontier is “pleased to have this matter resolved,” a spokesperson emailed. Ziply is aware of the settlement, said CEO Harold Zeitz. The buyer “prides itself on doing business honestly, responsibly and transparently,” he said. “We are committed to clearly communicating all charges and disclosures to our customers,” and its plans have no contracts or hidden fees.
USTelecom and member companies raised concerns similar to those by NTCA (see 2007070031) on the draft broadband mapping order and Further NPRM set for a commissioner vote July 16 (see 2006250062). AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier and Verizon were among the companies on calls with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. USTelecom supports “the concept of setting a maximum buffer for fixed polygon reporting to ensure that reporting is accurate and granular, and providers are not encouraged to submit overly broad polygons,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-195: But “the 6,660 feet maximum buffer may not be appropriate for all technologies, particularly in rural areas.” For fiber deployments, “the distances are frequently much longer,” it said.
Amazon announced its first fulfillment center in Arkansas, a 825,000-square-foot site in the Port of Little Rock area that's expected to create 1,000 full-time jobs when it opens next year. It's about 220 miles southeast of Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville. Recode said Walmart is planning to roll out a service this month rivaling Amazon Prime with same-day delivery for groceries and general merchandise, discounts and early access to deals. The retailer scrapped its $49-per-year ShippingPass subscription service in 2017 (1701310045) when free two-day shipping became table stakes for retailers. Walmart didn't comment. Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) noted the Amazon location’s proximity to interstate highways, rail and “navigable waterways.” In the new facility, employees will work alongside robotics to pick, pack and ship small items including books, electronics and toys, Amazon said Tuesday. Amazon also plans a new 85,000-square-foot delivery station for opening late this year, providing the “last mile” of Amazon’s order fulfillment process. That's expected to create “hundreds” of permanent, full- and part-time jobs, it said.
Don’t stop states from designating USF eligible telecom carriers, said a proposed resolution by the NARUC Telecom Committee for the state utility regulator association’s June 20-22 virtual meeting. The draft responds to an idea supported by some industry and FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly that’s raised state alarm (see 2006300010). It would ask Congress to reject the Expanding Opportunities for Broadband Deployment Act by Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and amend the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR-7302) by House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., to require providers seeking reimbursement be designated ETCs. Despite “several disparaging remarks” by one FCC commissioner about states’ role, the commission should cooperate with them, acknowledging their “significant role in closing the digital divide and in all Universal Service Fund programs,” said the proposed resolution. A proposed resolution in NARUC's Electricity Committee would support FAA approving beyond visual line of sight waivers for utility drones.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a telehealth bill (SB-212) Monday to expand Medicaid reimbursement (see 2006150041). Polis also signed a broadband bill (HB-1137) requiring significant weight to be given to a locality certifying that an area is unserved for the purpose of receiving grants.