Disney, Huawei and ViacomCBS were among telecom and tech entities reporting increased Q1 lobbying spending by Monday afternoon. Microsoft, NAB and the Telecommunications Industry Association showed declines over the same period in 2019.

Waive letter-of-credit requirements for Connect America Fund Phase II, industry asked the FCC in comments posted through Tuesday in docket 10-90. Skybeam and the CAF II Coalition petitioned for waivers to conform with recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund rules (see 2003110034). CAF-II LOC requirements are "far more onerous than the less restrictive obligations of future RDOF auction winners," USTelecom said. Use the same logic that led to RDOF LOC to support "a retroactive decision now to establish parity for CAF II auction winners," the group added. The Wireless ISP Association called it "entirely reasonable" to ensure requirements establish parity, "particularly where equal treatment will foster the timely delivery of improved broadband service" to "advance Commission policy objectives." NCTA said "granting the request will serve the public interest by allowing support recipients to deploy broadband more expeditiously while continuing to provide adequate protection in cases where buildout commitments are unmet." "Lift the yoke" off small, family-owned providers by revising LOC rules, LocalTel Communications said.

Industry opposed requests to delay an FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund broadband subsidy program Phase I auction, in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-34 (see 2003270066). "Move ahead with the RDOF auction this year so that funding can be awarded to rapidly close the digital divide," USTelecom said, noting the California Public Utilities Commission argued for a delay. Telecom providers are challenged to keep networks in service during the pandemic, but "this is not an adequate reason for the Commission to delay an auction that is not due to start until October," USTelecom said: "This crisis has shown how important it is for all Americans to have access" to broadband. AT&T echoed earlier commenter skepticism for allowing unproven technologies to seek RDOF support. The company cited consensus on being "wary of short form applicants lacking two years of operational experience" and intending to rely on new low earth orbit satellite technology. NTCA wants the FCC to "reject proposals to reorient the weighting framework to favor certain lower-performing technologies that are inconsistent with the goals of the auction and that pose the risk of substantially complicating the RDOF auction." Rules should prohibit providers from using USF support to subsidize non-U.S. endeavors, GeoLinks said. "Despite these commenters’ attempts to disparage SpaceX’s network, SpaceX has now launched and operates the largest satellite constellation in the world and will soon be offering service to customers in the United States who have for too long been left behind by legacy networks," the company said. Don't "stifle broadband deployment by barring broadband service providers from using satellite technologies that can support latency-sensitive broadband services," such as medium earth orbit satellites, SES and affiliate O3b said. "Avoid making definitive conclusions about bidders or technologies prior to the short-form application process," Viasat said.

The telehealth industry fears the $200 million the FCC has available for emergency COVID-19 funding will quickly run out, before all forthcoming applications are considered. Stakeholders we spoke with this month are seeking additional funding, but called the funds included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act a good start. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Don Young, R-Ala., proposed an additional $2 billion in such spending Friday via their Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act (HR-6474).

Maine should respond by May 27 to the telecom industry seeking an immediate ruling that the state’s ISP privacy law is unconstitutional, the U.S. District Court of Maine said Tuesday in case 1:20-cv-00055. ACA Connects, USTelecom and other industry groups Monday filed a motion (in Pacer) for judgment on the pleadings. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s (D) answer (see 2004030075) to the complaint “confirms that the material facts supporting these allegations are undisputed, the Court should enter judgment in Plaintiffs’ favor on the pleadings and declare the Statute unconstitutional, thereby barring Defendant from enforcing it against Plaintiffs and their members,” industry said. The court Monday set (in Pacer) an expected trial date of Nov. 3 and other deadlines, including discovery by Aug. 24 and all dispositive motions Sept. 14.

Citing the need for MVPDs and fixed broadband providers to focus on pandemic issues, an FCC Media Bureau order Friday delayed implementation of Television Viewer Protection Act truth-in-billing implementation by six months until Dec. 20. TVPA, enacted as part of an FY 2020 federal appropriations law (see 1912190068), included modified language from the Truth-in-Billing, Remedies and User Empowerment over Fees (True Fees) Act (HR-1220/S-510). "Their foremost obligation at this time is to ensure continuity of service adequate to meet the nation’s needs," instead of changes to existing billing systems, employee training or other compliance measures, the Media Bureau said. ACA Connects, NCTA and USTelecom sought delayed implementation (see 2003270030). ACA said Friday even without the COVID-19 pandemic, the required software upgrades were challenging. NCTA cheered the extra time. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., urged the FCC Friday to “vigorously enforce" the truth-in-billing language, which will require cable and satellite providers to begin disclosing all fees before consumers sign up for a service. It also requires providers to allow cancellations within 24 hours without penalty and to only charge subscribers for equipment “they actually use.” The FCC needs to confirm it “fully intends to enforce the new law,” Markey and Eshoo said in a letter to Chairman Ajit Pai. “We would also like to know what, if any, guidance the Commission intends to provide [MVPDs] about compliance.” The agency didn’t comment.

Governments at all levels should adopt consistent personal movement and work guidelines for information and communications technology workers during COVID-19, some 30 trade associations urged Friday. “Ensure that critical technology service workers can build, maintain and run these technology tools," said Information Technology Industry Council CEO Jason Oxman. Joining were ACT|The App Association, BSA|The Software Alliance, the Software and Information Industry Association and USTelecom, along with others from the U.S. and elsewhere.

The FCC and FTC told USTelecom gateway providers facilitating robocalls preying on COVID-19 fears would have all calls blocked to U.S. phone network traffic if they don't stop transmitting the robocalls within 48 hours, in a letter Friday to CEO Jonathan Spalter. The USTelecom Industry Traceback Group identified VoIPMax from the Philippines and Oberlo Peer BPO from Pakistan as originators, the letter said. The FTC sent cease and desist letters to SipJoin, Connexum and VoIP Terminator/BL Marketing. In a statement Friday, Spalter said, “Robocall scammers are out in force during this public health emergency, using COVID-19 to prey on vulnerable consumers. As soon as these scams started popping up, we began aggressively tracing them -- literally around the world." Gateway providers have a choice, said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "Move forward as responsible network providers or see themselves cut off from the phone system. ... To any other service provider that’s carrying or is thinking of carrying such traffic, be warned: If you do so, you too will find yourselves excluded from our phone system.” The FTC "will not stand for illegal robocallers that harm the public, particularly in the middle of a health crisis,” said Chairman Joe Simons. The number of robocalls "is INSANE," tweeted Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. "It shouldn’t have taken this crisis for the FCC and FTC to join forces to do something about it. But it’s a good thing it’s happening. Because scam calls are multiplying during this pandemic and stopping them at the source is vital."

ICANN Senior Vice President-Global Domains Division Cyrus Namazi leaves; Senior Vice President-Multistakeholder Strategy and Strategic Initiatives Theresa Swinehart also leads GDD in interim ... WarnerMedia names Jason Kilar, ex-Vessel, CEO ... Axinn adds Craig Minerva, ex-DOJ, as counsel-antitrust ... Latham & Watkins announces Nicholas Boyle, ex-Williams & Connolly, as partner-complex commercial litigation; his clients include software and technology companies, business-to-business data sellers and movie studios ... CTIA announces Sarah Versaggi, ex-USTelecom, as assistant vice president-government affairs and Joe Joiner, ex-National Restaurant Association, as PAC director.

Commissioners 5-0 OK'd an NPRM to deregulate phone tariffing and eliminate interstate access charges on local phone bills (see 2003260043). The vote preceded Tuesday's meeting via teleconference (see 2003310067). The NPRM proposes detariffing subscriber line, access recovery, presubscribed interexchange carrier and line port charges, plus the special access surcharge. It seeks to "explicitly prohibit carriers from assessing any separate telephone access charges on customers' bills after those charges are deregulated and detariffed" because they are difficult to understand, the agency said. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly supports the deregulation, not the plans to prohibit carriers from continuing to list separate access charges on bills. "I find it somewhat strange and ironic to characterize these charges as deceptive, when it was the FCC that established the various access charges and all of their confusing terminology in the first place, and the item proposes to continue to use the charges as proxies for calculating rate-of-return carriers' Universal Service Fund support," he wrote. O'Rielly said it should be up to the carriers to determine how to itemize and describe charges: "It's not clear to me how forcing carriers to bury these costs in their rates, rather than providing discretion to itemize them, will ultimately provide better transparency." The FCC “today recognized the market for voice services has changed substantially since 1996, including the reality that ILECs are no longer a monopoly provider," said USTelecom Vice President-Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Mike Saperstein. "This was an appropriate step by the commission to permit incumbent providers to price services in a way that reflects today’s competitive marketplace.” NTCA is waiting to see the NPRM.