Some states are responding to a possible federal phaseout in Lifeline support for voice-only services, but many have no plans to replace lost support, state commission officials said. The FCC plans to phase out $5.25 in voice support Dec. 1 except in census blocks with only one Lifeline voice provider. Some industry and community groups applauded states stepping in but said it’s up to the FCC to ensure no one is disconnected from voice service. “In the absence of federal support, state Lifeline subsidy programs fill a critical gap for those in need,” said Next Century Cities (NCC) Policy Counsel-State and Local Initiatives Corian Zacher.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the biggest question mark as the agency considers a draft order and Further NPRM on the 4.9 GHz band, indicated Wednesday he may support a proposal to take another look at the band, teed up for a Sept. 30 commissioner vote. Carr was the lone dissenter (see 2105270071) when the FCC stayed rules OK’d last year giving states control.
USForward asks the FCC to address the rising USF factor by spreading costs among consumers, assessing the fee based on broadband access service revenue. Monday's report said that's a better option than basing fees on numbers or connections. On a call with reporters, officials from NTCA, Incompas, Public Knowledge and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition disagreed whether action may have to await a permanent chair and full commission.
The Q4 USF contribution factor is 29.1%, said an FCC Office of Managing Director public notice Friday. This was expected (see 2109010077).
NTCA, Incompas, Public Knowledge and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition will release a "USForward" report Monday that "highlights the need for USF contribution reform, analyzes options for doing so, and provides recommendations on how best to reform this essential support mechanism," said a news release Friday. Consultant Carol Mattey, who wrote the report, will join the groups for a news briefing at 11 a.m. EDT.
The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comment by Oct. 4, replies by Oct. 19, in docket 05-337 on National Exchange Carrier Association-proposed changes to the average schedule USF high cost loop support formula, said a public notice posted in Friday's Daily Digest. The new formula would take effect on Jan. 1.
Alaska telecom associations submitted state USF update proposals with a connections-based contribution method to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in docket R-21-001. The Matanuska Telecom Association submitted its proposal for a flat-rate surcharge Wednesday after previewing it at an RCA meeting last month (see 2108110059). The revenue-based fee went as high as 19% in 2018 before the RCA capped it at 10%, MTA said. The RCA would require the new method and let the Alaska USF administrator set the monthly per line fee, the group proposed: No distribution changes are necessary. The Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition filed a plan for a new “Remote Alaska Fund” with a connections-based method that at first would support voice and later broadband. The RCA should set the AUSF at $30 million yearly, split evenly between small and large carriers, it said. GCI neither supports nor opposes any reform plan, and “is ambivalent about a connections-based funding mechanism,” the carrier commented. “Such a charge is certainly not a magic bullet that will solve the funding issue; the source of funding would continue to remain with ratepayers.” It could mean $2 per line monthly for every Alaska phone customer, and the RCA should consider how that “charge itself harms the goal of universal service,” GCI said. Alaska Communications suggested splitting the proceeding into two phases, the first to decide whether to continue the fund and any contribution changes, the second to tackle distribution changes.
Q4 USF revenue is projected to be around $9.5 billion, the Universal Service Administrative Co. reported Wednesday, as expected (see 2108030062). The quarterly contribution factor will be 29.1%, emailed analyst Billy Jack Gregg.
There’s an "imbalance” in the FCC’s handling of annual regulatory fees, said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr during an in-person Q&A at Thursday’s 2021 NextGen Broadcast Conference. Also at the conference, FCC and broadcast industry officials discussed use cases for 3.0 and emergency alerting. “We need to take a much stronger position when it comes to accountability” for “big tech” on benefiting from FCC activities, Carr said.
The FCC high-cost USF fund was scrutinized at the Technology Policy Institute (TPI) conference in Aspen, Colorado. Many said more-accurate broadband maps will help to spend the government money more efficiently. And "you got to get real maps of broadband" before spending infrastructure funds, said Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen. Otherwise, "you end up with very inefficient, wasteful spending," he said Monday. Eventually, "where you have electricity, you’re going to have fiber," he said. "I think that’s the end goal and that’s probably a 20-year process." Some got FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund money for areas devoid of people, Ergen and others noted. "The FCC is doing the right thing because hopefully without penalty, they will let people turn in the money" they could have received from RDOF in places they won't build out (see 2108130061), he said. "I hope companies are responsible and do it," he said of bid withdrawals. RDOF's problem is how areas were defined, not with the auction itself, said Stanford University Director-Public Policy Greg Rosston. "The mapping problem has got to get solved," he told a later TPI panel. To assist with effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, "the good news is it is billions" of dollars in broadband aid, said National Urban League Chief Operating Officer Donald Cravins. "We’ve come a long way in a short time. But we’ve lost a lot of lives." It's "an opportunity for us in America" and "we’ve got to get it right," he said. "I don’t know that we can afford to get it wrong again." The U.S. may never get 100% to get broadband, said Duke University economics professor Michelle Connolly. Even with landline phones, the country never got to 100%, responded TPI President Scott Wallsten.