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.
Broadband-only providers' statutory right to pole attachments isn't a significant issue because there are so few such providers and it's easy enough for them to expand their offerings beyond that to get pole attachment rights. That's according to a Federalist Society panel Monday about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's Mozilla remand. There were no pro-Title II panelists, and such allies didn’t comment immediately. That title is part of the Telecom Act.
NTCA moves up Jill Canfield to general counsel … ICANN appoints Merike Kao, Double Shot Security, to coordinate new DNS Security Facilitation Initiative Technical Study Group … Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Leadership Conference Education Fund promote LaShawn Warren to executive vice president-government affairs … Cox Media Group says President-CEO Kim Guthrie leaving company; Executive Chairman Steve Pruett becomes interim CEO.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is eyeing legislation as a potential way to speed the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, among other actions to improve connectivity amid COVID-19. The committee plans a Wednesday hearing to examine the "state of broadband" during the epidemic and related legislative proposals. Other senators also filed broadband-centric bills Thursday.
State attorneys general will ramp up enforcement against illegal robocallers, issuing more subpoenas or civil investigative demands to the Industry Traceback Group, so it should expand traceback capabilities, said the National Association of Attorneys General in a letter Monday to USTelecom. NAAG urged using a wider variety of call data sources; analyzing data to identify illegal robocall campaigns and trends; and allowing law enforcement agencies to upload and receive responses to subpoenas and CIDs electronically. USTelecom tweeted that the letter aims "to build on our existing strong public/private partnership and together expand the work of the Industry Traceback Group, our anti-#robocalls SWAT team." "You can count on us," it said.
Stakeholders disagreed how the FCC should update rules on informing state and local governments about disruptions to communications networks, in comments posted through Friday in docket 15-80 (see 2004270046). Communications Workers of America District 7 supports the proposal for access to the network outage reporting system and disaster information reporting system. The need-to-know list should include county and municipal offices of emergency services, said The Utility Reform Network. USTelecom disagrees. "Access by local governments would exponentially increase the number of individuals with access to sensitive information, thus intensifying the potential risks of breaches or inadvertent disclosures," the group said. "As local governments do not directly regulate the reporting entities, there is no compelling reason to allow cities access ... absent special circumstances." CTIA wants safeguards to confidential NORS and DIRS data and "adequate tools" to aid investigations after data breaches. If confidential data can't be protected from public view, Verizon said, "there is a risk that service providers will provide only a bare minimum of responsive information in their outage reports and be far more guarded in their discussions with Commission staff."
There's no consensus whether mobile and fixed communications services are complementary or substitutes in docket 20-60 comments this week for the FCC's communications market competitiveness report to Congress. The agency got requests for further smoothing access to poles and rights of way for wireline broadband access.
Verizon withdrew its full-year revenue outlook Friday due to COVID-19 uncertainty, as AT&T did Wednesday. But Verizon updated earnings, with mild reductions from earlier forecasts. As part of its annual shareholder meeting Friday, AT&T announced that CEO Randall Stephenson will be replaced in that role by President John Stankey on July 1. Stephenson will be executive chairman until January (see 2004240027).
Some want more clarity about the FCC's role regulating broadband, said comments posted through Tuesday. The agency asked to refresh dockets including 17-287, on how broadband service's reclassification as an information, not telecom, service affects authority over Lifeline, pole attachment agreements and public safety. Commenters disagreed whether the FCC should reconsider based on the public safety considerations.
President Donald Trump renewed his support Tuesday for efforts to include broadband funding in a fourth major COVID-19 legislative package, amid continued Capitol Hill interest in addressing broadband in future pandemic-related measures. The fortunes of broadband funding as part of future pandemic-related bills fluctuated in the weeks since Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the most recent aid bill (see 2003270058). Many tech and telecom entities listed proposals to include broadband funding in HR-748 and future aid legislation as one of the issues they lobbied the Hill on during Q1.