The FCC Precision Ag Task Force will meet virtually Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. EDT, said a notice in Wednesday's Federal Register. The group will hear updates from working group leadership and edit its draft executive summary of the group's report to the FCC.

The FCC’s three-year, $200 million cybersecurity pilot program for schools and libraries will likely be highly competitive, with lots of interest nationally, Julia Legg, account manager at E-Rate Central, predicted on Wednesday during a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition webinar. SHLB received dozens of questions about program details during the webinar. The FCC wants to fund as many eligible schools, libraries and consortiums as possible, including “those that include tribal entities, and a mix of large and small, urban and rural” programs, Legg said. All the details haven’t been published on reporting requirements, but a baseline report will be required in year one, with annual reports due within 60 days of the end of the year, she said. Applicants disagreeing with a decision have 30 days to appeal, half the time normally available for E-rate appeals, she said. Allison Baker, associate chief of the FCC Wireline Bureau, said the agency will accept applications from entities not participating in the E-rate program, but they must be eligible for it. Sue McNeil, chief of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, warned potential applicants that failure to file a complete Part 2 application could mean being removed from the pilot and potentially being referred to the Enforcement Bureau: “Nobody wants that.” Some 30 questions raised in the webinar that weren't answered will be addressed during an Oct. 2 SHLB workshop, said John Windhausen, SHLB executive director. The FCC approved the pilot program 3-2 in June with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissenting (see 2406060043). The initial window to apply for the program opens Sept. 17 and closes Nov. 1 (see 2409040036).

AT&T reopened discussions Sunday on the final offer the carrier submitted to the Communications Workers of America last week “as we continue the constructive negotiations we’ve engaged in since day one,” an AT&T spokesperson emailed in response to the latest complaint from the union (see 2409090040). CWA workers in the Southeast went on strike last month (see 2409050049). “We continue to aim for an agreement that will provide competitive market-based pay that exceeds projected inflation, provides benefits that improve employees’ total well-being, and sustains a competitive position in the broadband industry where we can grow and win against our mostly non-union competitors,” the spokesperson said: AT&T remains “hopeful” CWA “will engage with us in the same spirit and work towards an agreement to get our employees back to work.”

Comments are due Oct. 10, replies Oct. 25, on an FCC NPRM and notice of inquiry aimed at reducing unwanted AI robocalls. Commissioners approved the measures 5-0 in August (see 240807003). “Complaints regarding unwanted and illegal robocalls and robotexts are consistently the top category of consumer complaints that the Commission receives,” said a notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register: “As a result, it is critical that the Commission stay abreast of new technologies that may impact the privacy protections afforded to consumers under” the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The notice also seeks comments Nov. 12 as part of the initial Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 analysis.

AT&T, which is already dealing with a strike by Communications Workers of America members in the Southeast, now faces a CWA walk out in the West (see 2409050049). “Our members had a chance to review and vote on the AT&T West tentative agreement, and the majority determined that it did not meet their needs,” CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce said Friday: “We will use all the tools at our disposal to win a fair contract, including a strike if it becomes necessary.” The AT&T West agreement covers some 8,000 workers in California and Nevada whose contract expired April 6, a CWA spokesperson emailed Monday.

AT&T expanded its Gigapower fiber broadband footprint by crafting four agreements with "commercial open-access providers," the company announced Monday. It partnered with Boldyn Networks, Digital Infrastructure Group, Prime Fiber and Ubiquity. AT&T said it's "looking for opportunities to expand Gigapower's fiber footprint beyond the initial 1.5 million locations announced in December 2022" with BlackRock. Gigapower "is ramping well" in new service areas, said AT&T CEO John Stankey, and "we're targeting additional geographies for growth with the joint venture and other commercial open-access agreements."

Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) asked the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hold parts of the FCC's order on incarcerated people's communications services unlawful and remand the issue to the commission in a petition filed last week (docket 24-1814). The group filed a protective petition to "safeguard its rights in pursuing litigation" because only part of the order was published in the Federal Register. The published portion of the order addressed petitions for reconsideration, clarification and a waiver (see 2408230012). DARE noted it was "aggrieved by the order itself" and "does not claim to be separately aggrieved by the limited portion of the order" that was published.

The FCC Wireline Bureau reminded recipients of funds through the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program that they must file their next status update on or before Oct. 7. The notice was posted on Friday in docket 18-89.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society asked the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate and set aside some of the FCC's order on incarcerated people's communications services. In a protective petition filed Thursday (docket 24-2647), the group challenged the FCC's decision regarding whether IPCS providers can recover certain safety and security costs in their rates (see 2408230012). It filed a protective petition for review because "PPS believes that only the portion" of the order was published in the Federal Register and is currently reviewable. The portion of the order PPS is challenging has not been published yet. "In the event this or another court deems the entire order to be reviewable at this time, this protective petition for review would be operative," PPS said in its petition.

AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches wasn’t surprised at Verizon’s proposed buy of Frontier (see 2409050010). “When you look at bandwidth consumption trends in the U.S., they are going in one direction,” Desroches said Thursday during a Bank of America conference. The providers with “networks at scale [in] both wireless and fiber will be the ones who succeed,” he said: “They're going to be more competitive. They will have the best networks, the best cost structure.” He noted AT&T has invested heavily in spectrum and fiber and doesn’t need to acquire companies to compete. AT&T would rather “build and generate the returns through building as opposed to going out and acquiring and paying a premium.” Offering wireless and fiber service in a market means “considerable churn reduction” for both. Compared with 2021 and 2022, the wireless market “has normalized” and is “very healthy.” AT&T’s “play is not necessarily taking share of subscribers -- it is how do you optimize overall revenue and deliver value to the bottom line?”