The California Public Utilities Commission set aside a week, Feb. 14-18, for a hearing on updating state USF contribution. The virtual hearing starts at 10 a.m. PST every day, Chief Administrative Law Judge Anne Simon ordered Thursday in docket R.21-03-002. Carriers and consumers groups raised concerns with a commission proposal last year to switch to a per-access line surcharge for public purpose programs (see 2112010014).
The FCC should consider imposing cybersecurity rules tied to USF support, similar to what the regulator did on insecure network equipment from China (see 2012100054), said former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai during a Hudson Institute virtual event Friday. Pai was interviewed by former Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth.
NTIA faces several challenges as it prepares to administer more than $48 billion dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, panelists said during a Fiber Broadband Association webinar Wednesday (see 2111240021). It’s “possible” that NTIA will include metrics on latency, said Corning Manager-Federal Government Affairs Jordan Gross. The agency is looking to find metrics, based on the questions it asked in its request for comment due Feb. 4, Gross said.
At Graham Holdings, Graham Media President-CEO Emily Barr retires "later this year"; Catherine Badalamente, vice president-chief innovation officer, becomes her successor ... Lumen hires Stephanie Minnock as assistant general counsel, replacing Jeff Lanning; she works on USF issues and comes from FCC Wireline Bureau’s Telecom Access Policy Division; Lanning previously went to Womble Bond.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a Consumers' Research motion for an extension to file its initial brief in its challenge to the FCC Q4 USF contribution factor as moot, said a letter Friday in case 21-3886 (see 2201130030). Briefing was temporarily held in abeyance until the FCC motion to hold the case in abeyance is resolved, the letter said. An attorney for Consumers' Research didn't comment.
The FCC report on the future of USF should consider where support is needed to "sustain networks and keep services affordable," in addition to unserved areas, NTCA told Commissioner Brendan Carr and his staff, per a filing Friday in docket 21-476. The group suggested adopting "a holistic perspective" on USF's role in "enabling and sustaining access to broadband as compared to other programs focused narrowly on network construction alone."
Total demand for USF programs topped $9 billion in 2021, reported the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service on Friday. About $5 billion in high-cost support was claimed in 2020, with FCC staff estimating a similar amount claimed in 2021. Demand for low-income programs in 2021 was more than $1 billion. More than 7 million consumers participated in Lifeline in 2020, with 7,000 tribal subscribers participating in Link Up. More than $1 billion of the $2.4 billion committed to E-rate in 2021 was disbursed. Total rural healthcare funding disbursed was $49 million as of June 30. The USF Q4 2021 contribution factor was 29.1%, down from 31.8% in Q3.
Consumers' Research sought a 14-day extension, until Feb. 9, to file its initial brief for its challenge to the FCC Q4 USF contribution factor, in a motion Thursday before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in case 21-3886. It said the motion was unopposed by the FCC and intervening groups. It "makes little sense" to "push forward on an extensive brief raising numerous very significant constitutional issues about a multi-billion-dollar government program when the case may be stayed anyway," Consumers' Research said. The FCC recently sought to have the case be held in abeyance until it completes its report to Congress on the future of USF (see 2201110075).
Arizona Corporation Commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to require staff to open a state USF rulemaking in docket T-00000A-20-0336. Chairwoman Lea Marquez Peterson (R) seeks to support broadband (see 2111090001). Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Anna Tovar voted no.
Hold Consumers' Research's challenge of USF's Q4 contribution factor in abeyance until the FCC issues its report to Congress on the future of USF, the agency asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, per a filing Tuesday in case 21-3866 (see 2111180018). The report "should address petitioners’ arguments with respect to the lawfulness of the FCC’s rules and procedures for adopting the universal service contribution factor," the agency said: Consumers' Research opposed the motion and interveners supported it.