The FCC's outage reporting order approved 4-0 at its July open meeting (see 2307200041) expands on why the agency isn't requiring originating services providers to notify covered 988 service providers about outages, saying doing so wouldn't help improve the 988 Lifeline's reliability, according to our side-by-side comparison with the draft order. The finalized rule was released Friday. If an outage is in an originating service provider's network, it's unclear what the value is of covered 988 service providers starting to troubleshoot their own networks, the FCC said in the order. The finalized order also adds a paragraph expanding on its legal authority. And it adopts USTelecom-suggested language to harmonize the compliance timeline for the 988 outage reporting rules with the compliance timeline for 911 outage reporting rules adopted last year (see 2307140017).

The FCC contacted the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality and the EPA about their plans about health and environmental risks from lead-sheathed cables used by AT&T and Verizon, which report earnings this week. USTelecom said Friday the telecom industry is working to better understand the extent of the problem (see 2307210056). The cables received lawmaker, industry and public attention after The Wall Street Journal reported this month about telcos, including AT&T and Verizon, having left lead cables underground, underwater and on poles nationwide.

The DOJ, FTC and FCC touted the results of a joint initiative cracking down on a telemarketing operation responsible for billions of illegal robocalls Tuesday. The initiative, Operation Stop Scam Calls, included enforcement actions targeting "lead generators who deceptively collect consumers’ telephone numbers and then provide those telephone numbers to robocallers and others" to facilitate illegal robocalls, said a news release. “The FCC is committed to using every tool at its disposal to crack down on illegal robocalls and protect the US communications network,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal. DOJ noted that the partnerships have led to pursuing about 90 cases against illegal telemarketing operations. “The department and its partners are committed to pursuing those who make and facilitate these calls," said Arun Rao, deputy assistant attorney general-DOJ Civil Division Consumer Protection Branch. "Our collective efforts ... help us to expand our playbook, allowing us to outwit and defeat these perpetrators in their own arena," said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R). Collaboration is "a key component in investigating and prosecuting illegal robocallers," said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R). Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) noted that the "blatant disregard for consumer protection laws will not be tolerated and violators of these laws will be held accountable.” The announcement is "another important step in protecting consumers from illegal and unwanted robocalls," said USTelecom Vice President-Policy and Advocacy Josh Bercu, who's also Industry Traceback Group executive director: "The partnership among federal and state government agencies is producing real results."

The FCC should harmonize its 911 outage reporting compliance timeline with its proposed 988 outage reporting timeline to ensure the 988 rules on the agency's July agenda don't take effect before the 911 rules do, USTelecom representatives told aides to the four commissioners, per a docket 23-5 filing posted Friday.

Industry observers expect the FCC's Thursday forum on AI to be mostly an information gathering session as the agency focuses on one of the hot topics of the year but said questions remain about how large a role, or even what role, the FCC could play in rapidly emerging field. The AI forum is the agency's first since 2018 (see 1811300051).

Industry groups supported a March petition by the Competitive Carriers Association seeking tweaks to the FCC’s 911 outage reporting rules, approved 4-0 by commissioners last year (see 2211170051). APCO and the Boulder Regional Emergency Telephone Service Authority (BRETSA) opposed the petition in the initial comment round (see 2306270045). But most groups waited for the reply round to weigh in.

Support continued in comments from industry groups on the use of third-party caller ID authentication and other efforts to address Stir/Shaken implementation (see 2306060073). Some urged the FCC to clarify which levels of attestation should be allowed for authenticating calls. Reply comments were posted through Thursday in docket 17-97.

NTIA announced funding allocations for its broadband, equity, access, and deployment program Monday. All entities will receive a formal notice of their allocations Friday, the agency said. The $42.5 billion program will be used for broadband deployment efforts, adoption and workforce development. Initial proposals may be submitted from July 1 through Dec. 1. States and territories will have access to 20% of their allocated funds once their proposal is approved by NTIA. Texas is receiving by far the largest BEAD award, at more than $3.3 billion.

California local governments removed opposition to a bill meant to streamline broadband infrastructure deployment, they said at a California Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee meeting livestreamed Tuesday. The panel cleared AB-965 and three other broadband bills passed last month by the Assembly. One senator pushed back on AB-1065, which would explicitly authorize wireless broadband providers to get support from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure grant and federal funding accounts.

USTelecom "misapplies" the neutrality criteria for industry traceback consortium eligibility and its concern that iconectiv wouldn't be a competent manager "is without merit," the company told the FCC (see 2306120050). Iconectiv said in reply comments posted Friday in docket 20-22 it meets all neutrality requirements as it currently complies with the numbering administrator neutrality requirements. The company said it "has an impeccable reputation and is recognized in the telecommunications industry as a trusted, neutral steward of data." Its "extensive qualifications are well known to the commission" and it "has proven on multiple occasions that it can successfully transition ongoing operations from incumbents using a do-no-harm approach," iconectiv said.