TracFone asked the FCC to address "serious shortcomings" in the Lifeline national verifier being rolled out by Universal Service Administrative Co. "These problems compromise the FCC’s own policies by imposing burdensome and inefficient requirements that harm the very low-income consumers that the FCC seeks to support through universal access, without reducing potential waste, fraud, and abuse," said the Lifeline provider's emergency petition and petition for rulemaking, posted Monday in docket 17-287. TracFone urged the commission to direct USAC to implement 15 "modifications of the National Verifier and its associated processes," ranging "from the relatively straightforward: simplify the paper application; to the more complex: allowing service providers to check applicant verification via Application Program Interfaces." Separately, TracFone voiced concern about an impending USAC policy change "that will materially impact" Lifeline participation. "As part of a recent webinar presentation, USAC announced that, commencing [Tuesday], Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program ('SNAP') benefit cards and most Medicaid cards no longer would be acceptable documentation of enrollment in Lifeline-qualifying programs," filed the company Friday about a discussion with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, noting it wrote USAC Nov. 20 and got no response." The FCC and USAC didn't comment.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., is focusing on consensus telecom issues in the waning weeks of the GOP's control of that chamber and emphasizing the need for bipartisanship on the committee ahead of the incoming Democratic majority. Walden confirmed to us the House Republican Steering Committee formally recommended Thursday he be retained as the party's House Commerce leader in the 116th Congress, as expected (see 1811020048), becoming ranking member. Current committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., are considered near certain to take over (see 1811070054).
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., is focusing on consensus telecom issues in the waning weeks of the GOP's control of that chamber and emphasizing the need for bipartisanship on the committee ahead of the incoming Democratic majority. Walden confirmed to us the House Republican Steering Committee formally recommended Thursday he be retained as the party's House Commerce leader in the 116th Congress, as expected (see 1811020048), becoming ranking member. Current committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., are considered near certain to take over (see 1811070054).
Internet Association adds Elizabeth Banker, ex-Twitter, as vice president-associate general counsel, and Alla Seiffert, ex-Government Services Administration, for cloud policy director-counsel ... TechNet hires Peter Chandler, ex-Office of Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., as director-federal policy and government relations ... IHeartMedia promotes Paul McNicol to executive vice president-general counsel-secretary, succeeding Robert Walls, stepping down following company’s emergence from bankruptcy.
A surge in FCC ex parte meetings about access to national outage data in the network outage reporting system (NORS) and disaster information reporting system (DIRS) may foreshadow commission action in the near future, said parties to docket 15-80. States and others seek access, but the telecom industry is raising confidentiality concerns (see 1811060036). Multiple stakeholders that have talked with the FCC said the bureau is asking for input and meetings, but it's not clear what, if anything, Chairman Ajit Pai wants to do on the issue or when. The impetus for those meetings isn't clear, we were told.
ORLANDO -- State regulators’ relationship with the FCC “needs some work,” said NARUC Second Vice President Paul Kjellander in an interview at the association’s annual conference this month. Federal USF contribution modification could raise tension next year if the FCC continues to exclude states from the process, he said. The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, holding its annual event concurrently with NARUC, remains concerned about deregulation and consumers losing protection as telecom technology moves to the IP world, NASUCA President Elin Swanson Katz told us.
Communications resiliency, infrastructure, cybersecurity and the 2017 hurricane season are areas of concern in emergency preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported. “Challenges remain” in addressing infrastructure resilience, the report said, saying the failure of communications systems in Puerto Rico caused “limited situational awareness” after Maria and Irma. “Interdependencies between energy and other infrastructure systems present challenges in response and recovery; efforts to mitigate disruptions and to help communities learn from and plan for these challenges are growing.” Though the agency describes efforts to address those issues by the Department of Energy, Small Business Administration and FBI, it appears to contain no references to the FCC. It also doesn’t mention FCC-related actions on emergency preparedness such as the investigation into the false missile alert in Hawaii, efforts to restore communications in Puerto Rico or the nationwide emergency alert tests. FEMA focused on cybersecurity and IoT as areas of concern. “Insufficient information sharing between the public and private sectors has hindered the Nation’s effectiveness in defending against cyber threats,” the agency said.
Communications resiliency, infrastructure, cybersecurity and the 2017 hurricane season are areas of concern in emergency preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported. “Challenges remain” in addressing infrastructure resilience, the report said, saying the failure of communications systems in Puerto Rico caused “limited situational awareness” after Maria and Irma. “Interdependencies between energy and other infrastructure systems present challenges in response and recovery; efforts to mitigate disruptions and to help communities learn from and plan for these challenges are growing.” Though the agency describes efforts to address those issues by the Department of Energy, Small Business Administration and FBI, it appears to contain no references to the FCC. It also doesn’t mention FCC-related actions on emergency preparedness such as the investigation into the false missile alert in Hawaii, efforts to restore communications in Puerto Rico or the nationwide emergency alert tests. FEMA focused on cybersecurity and IoT as areas of concern. “Insufficient information sharing between the public and private sectors has hindered the Nation’s effectiveness in defending against cyber threats,” the agency said.
ORLANDO -- Utilities should demand faster release of 900 MHz spectrum for infrastructure cybersecurity efforts, said former FCC and California Public Utilities Commission member Rachelle Chong Tuesday at NARUC's annual conference (see 1811130001). “You know how FirstNet got spectrum just for emergency responders? We want utilities to have spectrum just for utility-critical infrastructure.”
ORLANDO -- Utilities should demand faster release of 900 MHz spectrum for infrastructure cybersecurity efforts, said former FCC and California Public Utilities Commission member Rachelle Chong Tuesday at NARUC's annual conference (see 1811130001). “You know how FirstNet got spectrum just for emergency responders? We want utilities to have spectrum just for utility-critical infrastructure.”