Commissioners will act at their June 9 meeting on CTIA and Wireless Infrastructure Association proposals for more changes to wireless infrastructure rules designed to accelerate siting of towers and other 5G facilities, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday. The move was expected, as is a fight from local and state governments (see 2005110029). Pai will also ask commissioners to approve auction procedures for Phase I of the FCC's 10-year, $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and proposed an NPRM on the use of very high-band spectrum. ATSC 3.0 also is on the agenda (see 2005180066).
The FCC confirmed Monday that members' next meeting tentatively will include a vote on wireless infrastructure, as we reported last week. Other items potentially on tap for a June 9 vote are auction procedures for the $16.4 billion, 10-year high-cost USF; high-band spectrum action; and on ATSC 3.0.
There mightn't be clean resolution on what authority the Regulatory Commission of Alaska retains after a 2019 state deregulation law, said commissioners at the RCA’s virtual, teleconferenced meeting Wednesday. Regulators are mulling broad telecom rule changes due to SB-83 (see 2001170047). First up, the commission will consider its power over access charge ratemaking at its June 10 meeting, said Chairman Bob Pickett. “Does the commission have a legitimate role in this or is it just a rubber stamp?” The commission will mull its authority over eligible telecom carrier designation for federal USF at the June 24 meeting, state USF on July 8, interconnection and joint use dispute resolution July 22, telecom relay service Aug. 12, and transfers and discontinuances Aug. 26, said the chairman. “It’s time to get things together quickly.” Pickett doesn’t “want to try to expand our authority under SB-83,” but the commission needs “specific language for the regs coming out of each of these discussions on what the commission will do and won’t do,” he said. Carriers don’t agree on the access charge ratemaking authority issue “or virtually any of the others,” noted Commissioner Stephen McAlpine. “The state of confusion that exists is going to require the commission at some point to just go forward, issue regulations as we can best interpret them, and let the chips fall where they will.” Carriers can “pursue whatever mechanism they see fit to straighten it out,” he said. Commissioner Daniel Sullivan concurred, “This is going to be sorted out one way or the other, maybe at some point legally.” The RCA clearly needs more clarity from the legislature, said Commissioner Antony Scott. “We really don’t know what they meant.”
Senate Commerce Committee members signaled interest in including further emergency broadband funding in the next COVID-19 package. Some senators urged their colleagues to think beyond the crisis. The Wednesday hearing featured few references to House Democrats' Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (Heroes) Act (HR-6800), which contains substantial broadband funding. The bill also includes language to make broadcasters and other local outlets eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. Both issues drew increasing support since the March enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (see 2004300058). The House is expected to vote on HR-6800 as soon as Friday.
USTelecom and member companies want the FCC to clarify broadband performance testing obligations for the USF Connect America Fund program, said a filing posted Monday in docket 10-90. Due to COVID-19, they want "some relief" for the regular testing phase "similar" to that given for the pretesting phase 1 "to minimize the impact on the network and solve for ongoing problems with the testing process." Providers "are still experiencing the same roadblocks they faced in March related to the pandemic," they said. Testing was due to start this summer. Executives from Alaska Communications, AT&T, CenturyLink, Consolidated and Windstream spoke with a Wireline Bureau staffer.
Broadening the USF contribution base won't harm broadband adoption, a report commissioned by NTCA said Thursday. The Berkley Research Group paper suggested a 1% USF contribution surcharge for broadband could reduce consumer broadband demand by 0.08%. Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Don Young, R-Alaska, led filing Tuesday of the Universal Broadband Act to codify that broadband is within USF's scope (see 2005050064). “Long-term viability of the Universal Service Fund is essential,” said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. She said the program "could be at risk if we keep ‘kicking the can down the road’ on addressing the shaky foundation of an ever-escalating and volatile contributions mechanism." Bloomfield told us earlier this spring that as new USF programs such as the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund are added, policymakers must address revenue that supports subsidies. "There's only so many coins you can find under the couch cushion," she said of existing contribution methodology that relies on long-distance voice revenue.
Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Don Young, R-Alaska, led filing Tuesday of the Universal Broadband Act to codify that broadband is within the scope of universal service. The bill would increase the USF contribution base to include all broadband services rather than the existing model that draws support from phone services. Peterson said “it’s unacceptable that rural communities have limited, unreliable or worse yet no broadband access” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight House members signed as co-sponsors: Ed Case, D-Hawaii; Angie Craig, D-Minn.; Luis Correa, D-Calif.; T.J. Cox, D-Calif.; Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Frank Lucas, R-Okla.; Hal Rogers, R-Ky.; and Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. The lawmakers noted support from several companies and groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Consolidated, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Farmers Union, NTCA, Power & Communication Contractors Association and WTA.
Rural ISPs that recently offered free fiber broadband connections to families with schoolchildren hope to eventually make money from them, an NTCA webinar was told Friday. Golden Belt Telephone and Golden West Telecommunications worked with school districts to provide broadband to unserved households when schools closed due to COVID-19. Golden Belt General Manager Beau Rebel said he hasn't calculated the cost of the recent installations: "Some things are bigger than the bottom line." Golden West General Manager Denny Law said he will examine customer retention efforts later, "once we get to our new normal" because "free is not a long-term option." The company will see whether USF support will play a role. Providers and consumers would benefit from changes to Lifeline, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said. She said she wants to use the current crisis as a "national imperative" to address remote learning and the homework gap. She said FCC has authority to do under an existing E-rate law, but it needs a boost in funding. Many NTCA members signed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's Keep Americans Connected pledge (see 2004300044), but as the number of unemployed grows, "they're seeing their uncollectables growing," said association CEO Shirley Bloomfield. "That's not sustainable."
The FCC should loosen letter of credit requirements for providers seeking USF support to rebuild and harden networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, stakeholders said in comments posted through Thursday in docket 18-143 (see 2004080036). "The PR-USVI Fund Coalition’s emergency request for waiver is appropriate and necessary in light of the current circumstances in Puerto Rico," WorldNet said. Puerto Rico Public Service Regulatory Board associate member Alexandra Fernandez-Navarro supported revisiting the LOC requirements so "all providers can have a reasonable opportunity of accessing the Uniendo a PR and the Connect USVI Fund while assuring that most resources go towards building resilient, quality networks." The Wireless ISP Association said, unlike other high-cost USF broadband support programs, PR-USVI Fund applicants must provide the commitment LOCs before the FCC selects winning applicants. WISPA added the COVID-19 pandemic makes "it extremely difficult for Stage 2 support applicants" to file LOCs "when the applications are likely to be due." Oriental Bank said no banks in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands meet the rating requirements of the PR-USVI Fund, and mainland banks are unwilling to be such creditors. But Virgin Islands Telephone (doing business as Viya) opposed the waiver, seeking accountability. Puerto Rico Telephone wants the FCC to "proceed with caution" as it considers which criteria to waive because "entities with no prior experience participating in the Commission’s High-Cost program are eligible to participate in the Stage 2 competitive process."
Top House Democrats said Thursday they see broadband affordability and access as a priority in the next COVID-19 stimulus bill, despite questions about the prospects for addressing such issues in future legislation. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone of New Jersey and other Democrats unveiled a revised broadband legislative proposal that draws largely from a January plan (see 2001290052) and other existing legislation. Senate Democrats plan to file a modified companion to the Emergency Educational Connections Act (HR-6563) in a bid for emergency E-rate funding. House Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., told us it may be possible to include some form of broadband funding in the next pandemic aid measure.