Core Communications’ proposed tariff revisions “violate many of the same rules that the commission found Core’s previous tariff revisions violated,” said an FCC Wireline Bureau order listed in Wednesday’s Daily Digest rejecting the proposed revisions “in their entirety” (see 2110070066). The proposed revisions are “unlawful on their face,” the order said, granting AT&T and Verizon's petition requesting the bureau investigate and reject or suspend the proposed revisions (see 2105070066). Core was ordered to file a supplement within five business days "noting that this proposed transmittal was rejected in its entirety." Core "has again been frustrated from lawful methods to collect fees rightly owed to it," said CEO Bret Mingo in a statement, with italics: "For years, AT&T and Verizon have wrongfully withheld millions in fees from Core on compensable call traffic Core carries -- traffic for which AT&T and Verizon have unapologetically charged their customers tens of millions of dollars." Mingo said the FCC "has not allowed Core to revise its tariff to hold these long distance carrier behemoths’ feet to the fire on paying Core for fees it rightfully charged.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau deemed AT&T's request for emergency discontinuance not granted, said a public notice posted Wednesday in docket 21-468. AT&T sought a waiver to suspend interstate telecom services affected by wildfires in northern California. The bureau said it was filed "with no explanation for why it was late-filed and no basis for considering its waiver request." AT&T "[continues] to work on the extensive network restoration effort related to damage caused by the Caldor fire," emailed a spokesperson: "While the vast majority of our network impacted by the fire has already been restored, we continue to work to restore connectivity for customers in the few remaining areas that are still impacted as quickly as possible."
E-rate advocates asked the FCC to reconsider its draft NPRM on the program’s competitive bidding process, in letters posted Tuesday in docket 21-455 (see 2111300047). The proposed national bidding portal is “most concerning,” said groups including the State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance, Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and the State Educational Technology Directors Association. “The new bidding requirements would be accompanied by detailed procurement procedures without regard for how overly burdensome they may be on E-rate applicants and service providers,” the groups said, saying the FCC should seek comment on whether the proposal to require applicants to upload all bidding documents is “appropriate and necessary.” The groups asked for a 90-day comment period. California Department of Education’s K-12 High Speed Network and its program manager, the Imperial County Office of Education, echoed similar concerns in a letter Tuesday opposing the proposed portal. It asked the FCC to either withdraw the draft NPRM or consider releasing a public notice to “gain contextual knowledge” on state and local practices.
FCC-proposed mandatory data collection on inmate calling services “fails to recognize that ICS providers are non-dominant competitive carriers that are not required to maintain their records in the same manner required of dominant carriers,” said Global Tel*Link in comments posted Tuesday in docket 12-375. Paperwork Reduction Act comments were due Monday (see 2110180007). GTL said FCC staff “grossly underestimated” how long it would take for ICS providers to respond, saying it would take 1,900 hours if it were to spend one hour per facility it serves. The FCC should also “re-evaluate the potential burden on ICS providers,” it said.
Require that affordable connectivity program providers apply the benefit only to "all plans that are presently offered to potential customers, not grandfathered plans," USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter told FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and his staff, said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-450 (see 2111180067). Spalter said it's not "necessary" for providers to submit details of every plan that will be available and to allow "as much time as necessary" to transition from the emergency broadband benefit program.
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted the State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance's request for an expedited waiver of the Emergency Connectivity Fund's invoice filing deadline, said an order Thursday in docket 21-93. The waiver applies to applicants that sought funding during either filing window, incorrectly used June 30, 2022, as the service delivery date, and received a funding commitment decision letter or revised letter with an Aug. 29, 2022, invoice filing deadline based on the incorrect delivery date. The bureau directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. to continue using the Aug. 29 filing deadline for affected program participants. It also modified ECF rules to allow applicants to use June 30 as the service delivery date for all funding requests made during each filing window and will take effect after Federal Register publication.
The FCC Wireline Bureau released guidance on the environmental and procedural requirements for the conversational mean opinion score testing of voice service provided over Connect America Fund-supported high-latency networks, said a public notice listed in Wednesday's Daily Digest. Each conversation test and its opinion score must be submitted, it said.
Hamilton Relay sought a six-month extension, until June 30, of its waiver of FCC rules on how fast non-video relay service providers must answer calls, said an ex parte letter posted Wednesday in docket 03-123. Hamilton said a waiver is needed because of the "notable increase in COVID-19 case numbers over the past two weeks" and "uncertainty surrounding recently announced federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates."
Allow tribal households that qualified as Lifeline subscribers for the FCC emergency broadband benefit program to participate in the affordable connectivity program without needing to opt in, Smith Bagley urged Wireline Bureau staff, said an ex parte letter posted Tuesday in docket 21-450. Those households "will see no change in their benefit, nor their service offering, when [EBB] transitions to ACP" and "would find it much more difficult to execute an opt-in requirement than most others in the nation," Smith Bagley said. It also asked that "no fundamental changes" be made to the National Lifeline Accountability Database because providers can adjust discounts within NLAD and remove households that no longer qualify.
The FCC Wireline Bureau completed its initial review of information submitted by Connect America Fund Phase II support recipients participating in the eligible locations adjustment process (ELAP), said a public notice Monday in docket 10-90 (see 1911120061). The bureau received 27 submissions covering 23 states and 36 participant/state combinations. All participants were found to have met their "prima facie evidentiary burden" to continue with the ELAP process, it said. The bureau will release participants’ names, the study area codes of locations, the reported type of locations, geocoordinates of locations, the postal address or physical identification of locations, and the number of separate dwelling units. The Universal Service Administrative Co. will release an interactive map with that information. Prospective stakeholders seeking broadband services are required to start the registration process by completing an online registration form by March 25. The bureau waived the 90-day stakeholder challenge window, citing "unanticipated technical obstacles to simultaneous implementation of both the registration process and stakeholder challenge window." The challenge filing window will be open April 1-June 29.