The Senate approved Tuesday the House-passed version of the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (S-1822) by unanimous consent. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and seven other committee Republicans are meanwhile calling for the FCC to distribute money from its proposed 5G Fund based on accurate broadband coverage data. The FCC has been considering what to ask in its coming NPRM to set up the new $9 billion USF program, which replaces Mobility Fund Phase II (see 2002130020). Senate passage of the House-altered S-1822 sends the measure on to President Donald Trump, who’s expected to sign it. The House last week amended S-1822 to included language from its House-passed companion (HR-4229), which was expanded into a larger broadband mapping legislative package (see 2003030064). S-1822 now also includes language from the House-passed Mapping Accuracy Promotes Services Act (HR-4227), which would bar companies from knowingly giving the FCC inaccurate broadband coverage data. “Flawed broadband maps are a huge problem for rural and underserved communities, including many in Mississippi,” Wicker said. “I expect the FCC and other federal agencies to use these new maps when awarding funding.” Unless "appropriately targeted," the 5G Fund "risks deepening the digital divide,” Wicker and the other senators wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a letter released Tuesday. The other GOP senators signing were: Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune of South Dakota; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Roy Blunt of Missouri; Deb Fischer of Nebraska; Ron Johnson of Wisconsin; Jerry Moran of Kansas; and Todd Young of Indiana. The senators noted they had repeatedly criticized MF-II. Wicker was on the verge of seeking an amendment to FY 2019 federal spending legislation that would force the FCC to revisit its MF-II maps before the FCC decided to investigate if top wireless carriers submitted incorrect coverage maps in violation of program rules (see 1812100056). “Although this program appears to focus on forward looking technologies that preserve and expand service in areas that otherwise may not be economical to serve, our concerns remain with regards to reliable underlying coverage data that is used to determine funding eligibility,” the senators said. The agency didn’t comment.
The FCC released drafts Tuesday of proposed items for the March 31 commissioners’ meeting, including details of proposals to deregulate voice incumbent pricing and require authentication of caller ID information, plus Media Bureau proposals on ATSC 3.0 and program carriage. Chairman Ajit Pai outlined the agenda Monday (see 2003090050).
USTelecom is seeking a single change to rules approved 5-0 in November barring equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in networks funded by the USF (see 1911220033), it told aides to all the commissioners, except Jessica Rosenworcel. USTelecom’s petition is “very narrow” and seeks “reconsideration of a single footnote that expands the Commission’s information collection on use of covered equipment to all affiliates and subsidiaries of [eligible telecom carriers], regardless of whether the affiliate/subsidiary receives USF support,” said filings posted Monday (see here and here) in docket 18-89. Aides included Nick Degani, senior counsel to Chairman Ajit Pai.
A Blanca Telephone order and subsequent collection efforts seeking $6.7 million (see 2001270032) to repay high-cost USF support to which the ILEC wasn't entitled remain in effect, said an FCC second order on reconsideration in Friday's Daily Digest. Commissioners approved unanimously. The docket is 96-45. The telco didn't comment Friday.
The FCC Wireline Bureau, Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics are ready to authorize 10-year USF broadband deployment support for 150 additional winning bids in the Connect America Fund Phase II auction, said a public notice Thursday. Authorization requires long-form applicants submit letters of credit and bankruptcy code opinion letters from their legal counsel by March 19 for each state where they have winning bids awaiting authorization. This round of CAF-II subsidies includes awards in Colorado, Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
The record shows new supply chain rules designed to protect U.S. networks are both “legally unsound and factually unjustified,” Huawei replied to the FCC. Commissioners approved rules 5-0 in November barring equipment from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in networks funded by the USF, and sought comment on whether to expand the prohibition (see 1911220033). In initial comments last month, industry groups raised concerns (see 2002040047), and replies appeared in docket 18-89 through Wednesday. Last week, the Senate passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (HR-4998).
Q2 USF revenue is projected at about $265 million less than the previous quarter and the lowest in its history, analyst Billy Jack Gregg emailed stakeholders Monday evening. "The decline in second quarter 2020 USF revenue continues the downward trend in the USF contribution base, which places upward pressure on the USF assessment factor, meaning it will be higher than it otherwise would be. USF revenue for the four quarters ending the second quarter of 2020 is $5.4 billion lower than USF revenue for the four quarters ending the second quarter 2019, a 10.9% decline."
There's a need for a new federal broadband plan, with different metrics and tasked outside the FCC, panelists said Tuesday during the Incompas Policy Summit. They commented on the 10-year-old FCC National Broadband Plan.
The South Carolina Public Service Commission should do nothing in response to a Jan. 30 staff audit, Frontier Communications said Monday in docket 2019-352-C. Office of Regulatory Staff says the company needs to improve reporting and restoration of service outages, and accounting practices for USF spending (see 2002200022). If the commission wants to act, it should collect comments from all providers and apply policies market-wide, the carrier said. “An arbitrary determination that all aging equipment should be replaced is not appropriate or fiscally responsible,” and staff haven't shown a recurring problem justifying regular reports to the commission on status of telecom equipment, said Frontier. The carrier disagreed it should have to specifically state USF spending: ORS hasn’t shown it would help the telco provide affordable service, the provider said.
An Oregon bill to expand state USF to broadband and extend fees to VoIP and cellphones cleared the Joint Committee on Ways and Means at a webcast Friday meeting. HB-4079 reduces the fee to 6% from 8.5% and would take effect Jan. 1. Oregon had missed out on millions of dollars in broadband support because the state couldn’t put up matching funds, said sponsor Sen. Arnie Roblan (D). Cellphone bills could increase 40 to 60 cents, noted Sen. Lee Beyer (D). Sen. Rob Wagner (D) said he was opposed last year but would vote yes despite lingering “heartburn.” Wagner, whose district includes part of Portland, thinks it’s “a little bit problematic and maybe even perverse that we're talking about an urban-rural divide in this state when the folks that are utilizing cellphones in my Senate district are not people who would be benefiting from this last mile or rural broadband expansion.” No Republicans attended the meeting due to their walkout over a climate-change bill.