The FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment will hear reports at its 10 a.m. March 27 meeting on broadcast ownership for small businesses, access to broadband in under-resourced communities, and employment of women and minorities in tech industries, said a Media Bureau public notice posted Tuesday.

NAB said Microsoft’s blank channel proposal will cost broadcasters. Microsoft is seeking rules that would allow launching rural broadband using TV white spaces spectrum (see 1707100042). “Broadcasters don’t have any problem with letting Microsoft use truly vacant channels, provided that broadcasters don’t permanently cede their rights to build on those channels in the process,” wrote Alison Neplokh, vice president-spectrum policy, Tuesday. “Microsoft’s ask is not about using vacant channels, it’s about creating vacant channels.” The FCC would in the plan require that before broadcasters make any changes to their existing licenses, they first ask whether there would still be at least one channel available for unlicensed use throughout their service area, she said. “The only way this creates extra space for unlicensed use is by denying a broadcaster a channel,” Neplokh wrote. “Broadcasters would have to hold open a channel, even if nobody has any interest in using it. Whether it’s that the particular market in question has no demand for white spaces or that the whole white spaces idea is never successful, broadcasters can’t retain or expand broadcast service, because it would violate Microsoft’s proposed rule.” Then-Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated an NPRM in June 2015 that would guarantee a white space channel in every market (see 1506160043). Microsoft didn't comment.

Lifeline USF providers endorsed a request that program providers be reimbursed during a subscriber non-usage grace period. The National Lifeline Association recently petitioned the FCC to rule that Lifeline eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) be "permitted to seek reimbursement for all Lifeline eligible subscribers served as of the first day of the month ... including those subscribers that are in an applicable 15-day cure period following 30 days of non-usage." Universal Service Administrative Co. had reversed guidance that let Lifeline ETCs be reimbursed during the cure (grace) period, providers said in comments posted Monday and Tuesday in docket 11-42. "FCC rules require ETCs to provide Lifeline customers with service during the cure period (Section 54.405(e)(3)), and mandate provision of Lifeline support to eligible Lifeline subscribers served on the first day of the month (Section 54.407(a))," Sprint said. "The reasonable and logical import of these rules is that Lifeline support is due for Lifeline customers who are in the cure period as of the first of the month." It said providers incur "significant" costs for accounts during the cure period, and said if USAC's reversal is upheld, it should be applied only prospectively. Q Link Wireless and Smith Bagley filed supportive comments (here and here). Smith Bagley discussed with FCC staffers an upcoming transition to a national verifier of Lifeline eligibility and "ways to mitigate potential impacts on Tribal areas," said another filing. Tribal representatives affiliated with the National Congress of American Indians also voiced support for Lifeline on tribal lands, in discussions with Chairman Ajit Pai, other commissioners and staffers in conjunction with NCAI's meeting Feb. 15 (see 1803130057). Chickasaw Nation Lt. Gov. Jefferson Keel "expressed concern about changes to the geographic scope of the enhanced Tribal subsidy," filed Barbara Esbin, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau deputy chief. "Teresa Hopkins, Navajo Nation Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, expressed concern about the loss of one-on-one relationships between providers and Lifeline recipients in the move to the National Eligibility Verifier, which have proven particularly important to those serving and living on Tribal lands, where many rely on mobile wireless and Smartphones as their only source of communications services." It said tribal leaders urged the FCC to act on a February 2017 draft order to exempt carriers primarily serving tribal lands from operating-expense limitations (see 1802020058), and supported a tribal broadband factor proposed by a recently circulated draft NPRM and order (see 1801160040).

The FCC proposed a USF contribution factor for Q2 of 18.4 percent of carrier revenue from interstate and international telecom service end users, said an Office of Managing Director public notice in docket 96-45 in Monday's Daily Digest, as a consultant projected (see 1803020057). The decline from Q1's 19.5 percent will take effect March 23 absent further action.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and 11 other local officials signed a Free Press pledge that they will do business only with ISPs that follow net neutrality principles like those rescinded by the FCC in December. Other signatures included mayors from Austin, Baltimore, San Francisco and Putnam, Connecticut. Free Press urged other mayors to join. The FCC declined comment.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is back from a four-day visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, a spokeswoman confirmed Monday. Pai viewed hurricane damage and recovery efforts (see 1803070054, 1803080048 and 1803090062), and explained his plan to provide USF support for telecom networks (see 1803060039). Pai retweeted (here) FCC tweets on his meetings and visits with officials and people in the Virgin Islands Friday and Saturday. U.S. Virgin Island government officials, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security "and unified telecommunications industry leaders met for two hours and recounted the impacts to the U.S. Virgin Islands infrastructure from the two ... CAT 5 hurricanes, focusing on communications and how government, industry, the private sector and other organizations all worked together to deal with the crisis," emailed U.S. Virgin Islands Public Service Commissioner Johann Clendenin. "From impacts, to response and recovery, the participants related their stories, sharing personal perspectives of the challenges, successes, work arounds, important lessons learned and recommendations for the FCC to shorten recovery and increase infrastructure resiliency in the future." Members of a Hurricane Integrated Telecommunications Team discussed various recommendations with Pai, including "the need for overall unified Telecommunications jurisdiction during Disaster response by States and Territories," which can "support relief ... hot spots, roaming, infrastructure support, debris removal, permits, equipment -- cranes, dozers, etc.," he said.

President Donald Trump issued an order barring Broadcom’s takeover bid for Qualcomm in response to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ finding last week that “China would likely compete robustly to fill any void left by Qualcomm [in 5G development] as a result of this hostile takeover.” Trump invoked the 1950 Defense Production Act, saying “there is credible evidence that leads me to believe” Broadcom “might take action that threatens to impair the national security” of the U.S., Trump said Monday night in the order. The takeover bid is “prohibited” and Broadcom and Qualcomm must “certify in writing [to CFIUS] that such termination has been effected,” Trump said. Qualcomm has been fighting the bid (see 1802050042, 1802160041 and 1802220057). Broadcom CEO Hock Tan took his fight over the deal to Capitol Hill last week after CFIUS released its determination, telling top lawmakers the company is “committed to making the United States the global leader in 5G” (see 1803090061). Broadcom and Qualcomm didn't immediately comment.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was on his way to the U.S. Virgin Islands Friday after finishing his trip to Puerto Rico (see 1803070054 and 1803080048). "Leaving #PuertoRico grateful to the countless people in the public and private sectors who are doing their best to bring back communications services. @FCC stands ready to work with them in Uniendo a Puerto Rico ! Now on to the U.S. Virgin Islands," he tweeted. Pai was on a four-day swing through the islands to survey hurricane damage and recovery efforts and to explain his plan to send additional USF support to providers for telecom network restoration and improvement efforts (see 1803060039). He was scheduled to conclude the trip Saturday.

A federal court set oral arguments for May to consider two FCC cases. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit May 7 will hear Sorenson Communications and Video Relay Services Consumer Association challenges to the commission's 2017 video relay services rate order, said a Friday court order (in Pacer) in Sorenson v. FCC (No. 17-1198) (see 1802200021). The court May 17 will hear PMCM TV's petition seeking restoration of a channel originally assigned to its WJLP Middletown Township, New Jersey, said another order (in Pacer) in PMCM TV v. FCC (No. 17-1209) (see 1803050038).

There were 2.75 billion U.S. robocalls in February, a 24 percent increase over last February, YouMail said Thursday. That's an average of 98.1 million per day, setting a daily record based on index data starting in 2015. Atlanta topped the list of robocalled cities for the 27th straight month, with residents receiving 119.5 million robocalls. Chicago displaced Dallas as the city generating the most robocalls with 95.3 million, while "614" in Columbus, Ohio, was the most prolific robocall generator among area codes. YouMail is "warning folks to download a robocall blocker and to not pick up any calls from numbers they do not recognize, and instead allow them to go directly into voicemail," said CEO Alex Quilici. An FCC alert warned of "'neighbor spoofing' scams where thieves manipulate caller ID information in ways that make calls appear to have been placed locally" even if they came from elsewhere, including overseas. Scammers use spoofing to increase the odds a consumer will pick up the phone and trust the caller, the agency said. It offered consumer tips and noted FCC enforcement and policy efforts to combat "illegal robocalling and malicious spoofing."