The FCC extended its disaster information reporting system Friday to cover counties in Georgia and South Carolina hit by Hurricane Ian, which headed north after pummeling Florida. The FCC said it acted in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FEMA. The FCC also set up a dedicated website on Ian.
Hurricane Ian caused large wireless outages in Florida's southwest where the storm made landfall, the FCC said Thursday. The FCC report covered network outage data submitted by communications providers through the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) as of Thursday at noon. The FCC will monitor the situation and is "committed" to ensuring communications are restored, said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel after Thursday’s commissioners' meeting.
House Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., warned the FCC and FTC not to "continue to exceed Congressional authorizations" given the "limitations" on their authority highlighted in the Supreme Court's June West Virginia v. EPA ruling. The high court further clamped down on the ability of agencies like the FCC to regulate without clear direction from Congress (see 2206300066). The committee "will exercise our robust investigative and legislative powers" to ensure federal agencies don't overreach, Rodgers told FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and FTC Chair Lina Khan in Sept. 23 letters released Wednesday. Rodgers appears to be putting federal agencies on notice ahead of the GOP's potential regain of House control in the Nov. 8 midterm election.
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The Regulatory Commission of Alaska will wait for an Oct. 5 proposal from a collection of local exchange carriers before deciding whether to allow Alaska USF to sunset in June, commissioners said in a brief videoconference meeting Wednesday (see 2208240061). The proposal was announced in a notice of consensus submitted to the RCA Tuesday, which didn’t include details but said the plan would extend the AUSF sunset date to June 30, 2026, adjust AUSF distributions “to reallocate support to remote areas,” and “adopt a simple, flat, per-connection rate” for contributions “for sustainability.” By 2026, “the impacts of significant federal infrastructure funding in Alaska will be better known, and the Commission will have more information that it may use to determine the best AUSF policy for the long term,” said the notice. The LEC entities behind the notice include Alaska Communications Systems Group, the Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition and Yukon Telephone. The Office of Alaska Attorney General’s Regulatory Affairs & Public Advocacy Section also supports the proposal “even though the consensus proposal differs from RAPA’s proposal and some points made in RAPA comments,” said a filing from RAPA. “My sense is that when you can get a multitude of people on the same sheet of music, it does perk one’s ears up,” said RCA Chairman Keith Kurber. Commissioner Jan Wilson said the Oct. 5 submission should include an explanation of why continuing the AUSF is in the public interest. “If you’re going to be given other people's money you need to build a record that demonstrates that you need, not just want other people’s money.” Commissioner Robert Pickett had been ready to vote to close the proceeding and allow the AUSF to sunset prior to the submission of the notice of consensus, he said. Under the current law, the RCA doesn’t appear to have any authority over broadband, Pickett said, saying he’s also unsure there’s enough time to create the package of new AUSF rules the notice proposes before the 2023 sunset. “We’re almost too late,” Pickett said. “We don’t really have a whole lot of time to do much of anything.”
Consumer advocacy organizations and inmate calling services (ICS) providers welcomed a draft order expanding access to telecom relay services for deaf or hard of hearing individuals and an FCC Further NPRM that would seek comment on whether the commission should amend its rules for refunds (see 2209080057). Some sought to eliminate the population threshold for facilities to require compliance with the proposed rules. ICS providers raised implementation concerns. Commissioners will consider the item Thursday.
The FTC should avoid injecting new, unsubstantiated liability into potential changes to its ad endorsement guidelines, advertising groups told the agency in comments due this week (see 2207250036). Consumer advocates urged the agency to hold strong on expanded definitions for social media influencers and new protections for children and teens. The FTC collected public comment through Monday on its first substantive update to the guides since 2009.
The FirstNet Authority appears likely to win easy approval of a renewal of its band 14 license, now before the FCC, industry experts said Friday. The National Sheriffs Association and the Major Cities Chiefs Association (see 2209070059) and 2208250056) have raised questions, but the general run of letters has praised the network. The license expires Nov. 15.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission should revoke LTD Broadband’s expanded eligible telecom carrier designation, state Rep. Dave Lislegard (D) wrote Thursday to the agency. Balkan Township, which Lislegard represents, has had trouble moving on a fiber project with Bunyan Communications due to LTD’s winning bid in the federal Rural Digital Opportunity fund (RDOF) auction, he said. Showing “an inability to fulfill their promises,” LTD “should get out of the way.” The PUC is mulling whether to pause its proceeding on possibly revoking the company’s ETC status while LTD challenges the FCC’s recent long-form application rejection (see 2209200073).
Telecom-focused lawmakers are hopeful they will be able to reach a final deal in the coming days to include a short-term extension of the FCC’s expiring spectrum auction authority in a potential continuing resolution to extend federal appropriations past Sept. 30 (see 2209090053). Talks Wednesday appeared to be strongly coalescing around a stopgap reauthorization through Dec. 16 -- in line with the likely expiration of the overall CR -- but there’s been no final deal, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. Lawmakers believe the temporary renewal will give them more breathing room to reach a deal on a broader spectrum legislative package during the lame-duck session (see 2208090001).