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.
The House Commerce Committee is eyeing a virtual markup session the week of July 20 after a two-week recess, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., said during an appearance on C-SPAN’s The Communicators to be televised this weekend. The House in May passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (Heroes) Act (HR-6800), with broadband funding (see 2005180056). Lawmakers have been offering a range of other broadband funding proposals, including a push by House Democrats to allocate $100 billion as part of the Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (see 2006220054). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has yet to “open his mouth and say something” (see 2005140062) about wanting to “sit down and negotiate” on another aid bill, Doyle said now. He hopes talks will have progressed during the current recess to a point where lawmakers will “have something to vote on relative to another package,” because Congress needs to “get something done before” the longer August recess. Doyle hoped appropriators “put sufficient” money in FY 2021 funding bills to fully implement the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. HR-4998 set up a program to fund U.S. communications providers’ removal of Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security (see 2003040056). The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee advanced its FY21 bill this week with $1 billion to implement HR-4998 (see 2007080064). The FCC earlier sought $2 billion for work on the law (see 2003230066). Doyle hailed the FCC’s decision to bar Chinese equipment makers Huawei and ZTE from participating in USF (see 2006300078).
The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee approved by voice vote Wednesday major funding increases for the FCC and FTC for FY 2021. The bill includes $60 billion in broadband infrastructure grants and money to implement the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (HR-4998) and Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act broadband mapping law (S-1822). Riders on other telecom policy issues may make an appearance once the full committee marks up the measure, lawmakers and lobbyists told us.
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.
With not all on board with stakeholder calls to end eligible telecom carrier designation requirements, momentum may not be sufficient to change FCC policy before would-be bidders in the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund take first steps to participate in the auction, according to recent interviews. Most think a repeal would take a law.
The House began considering amendments to the Democrats’ Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2) Tuesday, including 10 on broadband. The underlying measure contains $100 billion in broadband funding, with $9 billion for a Broadband Connectivity Fund to give eligible households an “additional broadband benefit” and $5 billion for E-rate. It also includes $12 billion for next-generation 911 (see 2006180062). House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina and other Democrats pushed for the measure's adoption. Republicans argued it's a purely partisan measure that has no chance of making it through the Senate or getting support from President Donald Trump.
The FCC barred Huawei and ZTE from participating in the USF. The Public Safety Bureau confirmed the designation of both as a threat to national security (see 2006300048). Sen. Mark Warner, Va., warned on a USTelecom webinar the U.S. is falling behind China on 5G and stressed the importance of open radio access networks. Speakers at a GSMA conference Tuesday said China won’t slow down on 5G (see 2006300049). The Rural Wireless Association was “stunned” by the decision to clamp down now.
An order circulated last week asks FCC members to dispose of a November 2018 GCI Communication application for review asking the Wireline Bureau to reverse reduction in its USF Rural Health Care Program support for funding year 2017 (see 1811130040), an official said. The item was announced Friday.
The $8.3 billion annual USF "may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify, or otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by" Huawei and ZTE, the FCC announced Tuesday afternoon. The Public Safety Bureau designated the Chinese telecom gear makers as covered under the commission's 5-0 November ban on buying from companies posing a national security threat.
The next National Broadband Plan shouldn't be a 10-year project and shouldn't be assigned solely for the FCC to conduct and implement, said New Street's Blair Levin during a Friday FCBA webinar with panelists who worked on the original National Broadband Plan before it was released as a report to Congress 10 years ago (see 1003170154). Their consensus now is it should be shepherded outside the FCC to gain broader buy-in across government (see 2003030030). Suggestions for NBP ownership included NTIA, the Commerce Department or the White House.