States can't easily do targeted outreach, support migration or identify people still relying on analog telecommunications relay services due to their lack of access to customer data, according to the National Association of State Relay Administration. In a meeting with FCC staffers, NASRA board members urged the commission to allow an exemption for TRS vendors to share customer data with state TRS administrators for outreach and transition support, said a filing posted (docket 03-123). That would help ensure device solutions for households without broadband, the group said.

At their November meeting Thursday, the FCC approved a rollback of cybersecurity rules, an NPRM seeking comment on modernizing the telecommunications relay service, and a direct final rule order deleting 21 public safety provisions. The commissioners also approved a proposal for upper C-band rules.

Telecommunications relay service (TRS) companies and consumer groups are mainly supportive of the FCC’s TRS NPRM, and industry attorneys told us it's expected to receive unanimous approval at the agency’s Nov. 20 open meeting. However, consumer groups told us that any rulemaking stemming from the proceeding needs to take legacy users of analog TRS into account.

The FCC released the draft items for its Nov. 20 open meeting Thursday, including an NPRM on clearing the upper C band, an order undoing the last FCC’s response to the Salt Typhoon attacks, and an NPRM seeking comment on updating telecommunications relay services.

The FCC would seek comments on options for the upper C band, including an auction of up to 180 MHz of it, in an NPRM to be voted on at the agency's Nov. 20 meeting. Congress has directed the FCC to auction at least 100 MHz of upper C band by July 2027. "We have no time to spare," agency Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday. "So it is now time to start making important decisions on how best to unleash new wireless services quickly in the band."

Disability Belongs, a nonprofit led by people with disabilities, urged the FCC to reach out to all those affected before eliminating a requirement that telecommunications relay services providers support the largely obsolete ASCII transmission format. Other commenters saw little risk from permanently deleting the requirement.

Four amicus briefs were filed at the Supreme Court on Sept. 23 in defense of President Donald Trump's ability to levy tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The briefs focused on various elements of the case, though they all argued that the nondelegation doctrine shouldn't be used to strip the president of his tariff authority here, since the court has long upheld broad delegations of authority to the president in the realms of foreign affairs and national defense (Donald J. Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, U.S. 25-250) (Learning Resources v. Donald J. Trump, U.S. 24-1287).

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau established the total funding requirement and approved contribution factors for the interstate telecommunications relay services (TRS) fund for a one-year period ending June 30, 2026. The FCC previously took comments (see 2506090018). Contribution factors determine the amounts that carriers and other covered service providers must contribute to the fund.

As the FCC commissioners voted up a trio of regulatory items Thursday, Chairman Brendan Carr was predicting "a very, very busy" July and August, with a greater focus on accelerating infrastructure buildouts and freeing up spectrum. Approved at the agency's June meeting were orders streamlining cable TV rate regulation and axing the professional engineer certification requirement for the biannual broadband data collection filings, as well as an NPRM proposing to end the requirement that telecommunications relay services providers support the now-obsolete ASCII transmission format. Thursday's meeting was the first for Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty, who was sworn in Monday (see 2506230057). With Carr now having a two-person Republican majority, agency watchers anticipate that it will ramp up more substantive work aligned with his agenda (see 2506200052).

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau has granted certification for several companies to provide video relay service (VRS) and IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) supported by the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service Fund, said three public notices Wednesday. Sorenson Communications, which is majority-owned by Ariel GP Holdco, was granted certification to provide VRS and is eligible for TRS compensation through June 24, 2030. CaptionCall, also owned by Ariel GP, was certified to provide IP CTS with TRS compensation for the same five-year period. NexTalk Software, owned by Solen Ventures, was granted a conditional certification to provide IP CTS. NexTalk will be eligible for TRS fund compensation when the FCC takes action on its application for full certification, the notice said. “We find it to be in the public interest to grant such conditional certification pending a full determination of NexTalk Software’s qualifications.”