The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau wants comments by Oct. 26, replies Nov. 7, on InnoCaption's application for full certification to provide IP captioned telephone service, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123 (see 2209130061).

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance and Consortium for School Networking asked the FCC to abandon its proposal to establish a national bidding portal for the E-rate program. The commission's NPRM on the item and August letter of support from the DOJ Antitrust Division include claims that "obscure the sufficiency of the current tools used by the program administrator, auditors, the FCC and other law enforcement officials to police and enforce the bidding requirements," the groups said in a letter posted Tuesday in docket 21-455 (see 2208160055). Claiming applicants and service providers self-certify compliance with bidding requirements doesn't "acknowledge the frequent, extensive pre-funding and post-commitment auditing of underlying bidding documentation to confirm the veracity of these certifications," the groups said. A data analytics program is also "well underway," they said, citing a May 2021 FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Managing Director letter to the Universal Service Administrative Co. directing it to do so. The "stringent limitation on communications" in the NPRM and DOJ's letter also "create a conflict of laws with state and local regulations," the groups said, and the portal has the "real potential to be harmful to applicants who earnestly try to comply with program rules."

Sorenson asked the FCC to "focus on incentivizing investment" in videoconferencing platforms for deaf individuals, in a meeting with aides to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, per an ex parte filing Friday in docket 03-123 (see 2202250040). The provider also met with an aide to Commissioner Nathan Simington, asking the FCC to "reestablish functional equivalence ... as the primary objective" of the video relay service program and allow videoconference calls to be compensable "when a deaf participant relies on and uses an interpreter." Sorenson said new VRS rules "must account for the fact that interpreters' wages in VRS must be more competitive with those for non-VRS interpreting."

The FCC committed an additional $96 million in Emergency Connectivity Fund support Wednesday. The new funding will support schools and libraries impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian throughout Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina, said a news release. “We need to make sure all kids have digital tools for connecting with school, but it’s especially important for students living in those areas damaged by the recent hurricanes,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

The North American Numbering Council will meet virtually Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. EST, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 92-237. The group will vote on the numbering administration oversight working group's recommendations on "the feasibility of individual telephone number pooling trials." CTIA Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Amy Bender was added as a NANC member. The Maine Public Utilities Commission was added to the numbering administration oversight working group, with Jason Marco, telephone and water utility industries utilities analyst, designated as the working group alternate.

States and territories should submit their renewal applications to recertify their telecom relay service programs by Dec. 1, said an FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Monday in docket 03-123. Current certifications are to expire on July 25, the notice said, and the bureau requested applications to allow for "sufficient time to review and rule on the applications."

USTelecom asked the FCC to maintain current rules on costs that arise from pole replacements and attachments (see 2208290047). The rules are "simple, effective and easy to apply," the group said in a meeting with Wireline Bureau staff, per an ex parte posted Monday in docket 17-84. Changing them would "not only do nothing to facilitate broadband deployment, it would likely undermine deployment goals and introduce competitive distortions and bad economic incentives," it said. The FCC should "enforce the rules that are already in place" and not "depart from its decades-long approach to the cost-causation principle," USTelecom said.

The Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) Broadband Coalition asked the FCC to adopt the proposed enhanced ACAM program "expeditiously in order that binding commitments to deploy broadband at a minimum of 100/20 Mbps" are considered by NTIA as it implements its broadband, equity, access and deployment program (see 2205190023). "Quickly moving forward with implementation would provide for the ACAM program and the BEAD program to be administered in a complementary manner and for BEAD program dollars to be used more widely," the coalition said in a meeting with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, per an ex parte posted Friday in docket 10-90. The group held separate meetings with an aide to Commissioner Nathan Simington, the Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staff.

The FCC broadband data task force scheduled a virtual workshop Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. EDT to give state, local and tribal governments, ISPs and other entities technical assistance on how to file bulk challenges in the broadband serviceable location fabric, said a public notice Thursday in docket 19-195 (see 2209150075).

The FCC Wireline Bureau waived provisions of the E-rate, Emergency Connectivity Fund, Rural Health Care, COVID-19 Telehealth, Lifeline, and Affordable Connectivity Program rules for participants and USF contributors in Puerto Rico due to damage from Hurricane Fiona, said an order Thursday. The order includes extensions for E-rate, Rural Health Care and ECF deadlines, waivers of document retention rules for records destroyed by Hurricane Fiona, and increased flexibility for service substitutions. It also waives Lifeline non-usage, recertification and reverification requirements and ACP recertification and de-enrollment requirements for subscribers in Puerto Rico. “Given the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona to Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, strict compliance with these rules would be impracticable and would risk harm” to subscribers, the order said. The order also waives some USF requirements for affected contributors. “The extensive damage to property and facilities caused by Hurricane Fiona has rendered many providers unable to serve the Affected Disaster Areas.” The FCC disaster information reporting system showed 26.4% of cellsites down Thursday, and 703,576 wireline subscribers without service, compared with 741,451 Wednesday. The report shows five FM stations and four AM stations still out of service and no public safety access points down.