The Supreme Court denied plaintiff Ali Gadelhak's petition for a writ of certiorari on Monday after a 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that AT&T's "Customer Rules Feedback Tool" isn't an automatic dialing system and didn't violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (in Pacer). Justice Amy Coney Barrett didn't participate here.
Global Tel*Link is trying, where possible, to cut the costs of prison calling and pass the savings along to incarcerated people and their families, CEO Deb Alderson told FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington and aides to the other commissioners. Alderson “has been sensitive to controlling costs, while also pressing for innovation,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 12-375. “GTL has made significant investment in research and development geared towards new technologies and infrastructure to provide secure communications and keep people connected while maintaining public safety.”
The FCC will host a consumer webinar April 27 at 3 p.m. EDT to give the public more information about the $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program, said a public notice Friday. The event will cover eligibility and enrollment procedures and provide an outreach tool kit to help create awareness of the program. The FCC didn't respond to a question about whether acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel or other commission members will participate.
Lunex Telecom agreed to pay a $216,000 civil penalty as part of a consent decree for failing to file USF worksheets and customer proprietary network information certifications, an FCC Enforcement Bureau order said Friday. Lunex is also required to develop a compliance plan and file reports with the commission until the consent decree expires in 60 months.
The FCC will likely vote in mid-May on rules for the emergency connectivity fund, said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel during a virtual panel Tuesday with Allvanza, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, and OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates (see 2104060042). "We're going to develop a program based in part on the work we've done for decades with the E-rate program," Rosenworcel said: "We're going to borrow some of the tools from that plan and figure out how we're going to expand it."
ClearCaptions received conditional certification for fully automated IP captioned telephone service for up to two years, pending further verification that its automatic speech recognition-based service complies with minimum telecommunications relay services standards, said the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau in a memorandum opinion and order Tuesday in docket 03-123. The bureau also granted ClearCaptions' request to waive consumer certification and URL submission requirements.
The FCC issued cease-and-desist letters Tuesday to R Squared and Tellza for "apparently transmitting illegal robocall traffic." The companies appeared to have transmitted "multiple unlawful robocall campaigns that market auto warranties and credit card debt reduction service, or claim, falsely, to be from the Social Security Administration or other well-known companies," a news release said. The commission sent similar letters to six other companies in March (see 2103170061). R Squared and Tellza didn't respond to requests for comment.
The FCC's report and order on the COVID-19 telehealth program round two took effect Friday, said that day's Federal Register. The application filing window is expected to open within the next 30 days. The Universal Service Administrative Co. will administer the program's $249.95 million (see 2103300063).
ACA Connects asked FCC Wireline Bureau staff to limit Emergency Connectivity Fund support to schools and libraries not already receiving funding from other federal or state programs, including the emergency broadband benefit program, said an ex parte letter posted Monday in docket 21-93 (see 2104060042). Schools and libraries should be required to certify they aren't "seeking ECF support for students and patrons receiving connectivity and devices through other government programs that could be used for remote learning," the group said, because funding is limited and other programs exist.
Rural Health Care telecommunications program providers don't have to use the new rates database for funding years 2021 and 2022, an FCC Wireline Bureau order said Thursday in docket 17-310. "In the absence of a national rural Rates Database, we believe that the preexisting rules result in rural rates that most accurately reflect the current costs of providing service," the order said. The bureau also extended the service delivery deadline until June 30, 2022. The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition petitioned the FCC to waive the implementation of the database in January. The order was "well-intentioned," but the "actual rates in the database could have eliminated any funding at all for many rural healthcare providers," said John Windhausen, SHLB executive director, in a statement. SHLB said it found evidence of "widespread problems with the rates database, affecting 42 of the lower 48 states, that could have tripled rural healthcare providers’ average broadband costs."