On February 8, 2017, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau waived several of its rules with respect funding year 2017. The eligible services list (“ESL”) for FY 2017 contained several changes pertaining to whether a service...more
Last Friday, the FCC filed a motion with the DC Circuit to put a hold on the pending appeal of a portion of its 2016 Lifeline order finding that the FCC—and not the states—had sole jurisdiction to grant Lifeline broadband...more
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau recently granted nine Lifeline Broadband Provider (“LBP”) designations: four on December 1, 2016 and five more on January 18, 2017, as part of its effort launched last year by...more
In one of his first acts as FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai announced he was moving forward with his Digital Empowerment Agenda accompanied by the announcement this past Tuesday that the FCC is forming a new federal advisory...more
We reported last spring on the FCC’s accusations against Total Call Mobile and proposed fine of more than $51 million relating to agent misconduct and the failure of company management to take sufficient and early corrective...more
Despite announcing with much fanfare back in December 2014 that the FCC had changed its rules to permit schools and libraries to obtain E-rate funding to self-provision fiber, it appears that USAC has only just approved an...more
Late last week, the FCC issued guidance on its new re-certification rules. The current rule requires Lifeline ETCs to conduct their annual re-certification efforts without regard to an individual subscriber’s Lifeline start...more
Earlier today, the FCC announced in the Federal Register that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the remaining changes to the FCC’s Lifeline rules that were adopted in last spring’s Lifeline Modernization...more
The FCC released a Public Notice seeking comments on two petitions requesting rule changes to permit off-campus use of E-rate funded networks without a reduction in E-rate funding. Under the current E-rate program, schools...more
On July 27, the FCC proposed a penalty of $106,425 against AT&T for allegedly violating its “lowest corresponding price” (“LCP”) rule, which requires that E-rate service providers offer their services to participating schools...more
As was expected after the FCC’s sweeping Lifeline rule changes, several parties filed Petitions for Reconsideration of the controversial Lifeline Modernization Order. Petitioners, consisting of trade associations, ETCs, and...more
The Lifeline Modernization Order was published in the Federal Register on May 24, making the effective date of the Order June 23, 2016. Most of the rule changes, however, cannot take effect until the Office of Management and...more
Last week, the FCC finally released the full, 224-page text of its controversial and anxiously awaited Lifeline Modernization Order, which was approved by a bitterly divided, party-line 3-2 vote on March 31. As we advised in...more
On March 8, 2016, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn unveiled a fact sheet summarizing their plan to “re-orient” the Lifeline program towards broadband service and a recap of the existing reforms...more
Last summer, the FCC adopted new rules for the Lifeline program in its Second Order and NPRM (see our prior analysis of the order), including: the retention of eligibility documentation (such as scans of food stamp cards); an...more
In its June 2015 Lifeline Order on Reconsideration, the FCC adopted a new rule which requires ETCs to retain documentation demonstrating subscriber eligibility for Lifeline, such as a copy of the applicant’s food stamp card...more
10/7/2015
/ Compliance ,
Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) ,
Data Collection ,
ETCs ,
FCC ,
Lifeline Program ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Privacy Laws ,
Telecommunications ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology
Last week, the FCC released its second major order in the Lifeline reform proceeding: Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Order on Reconsideration, Second Report and Order, and Memorandum Opinion and Order...more
Last Friday, staff in the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a report summarizing the results of the FCC’s Lifeline broadband pilot program. The program was designed to determine how the Lifeline program might address...more
For the first time in many years, the FCC has announced that it anticipates being able to fund all E-rate funding requests. Last Friday, the FCC issued a Public Notice that states that the estimated demand for Category 1...more
The FCC is gearing up to launch a new rulemaking proceeding to once again overhaul the Lifeline program. The last major reform of the program was in 2012, and this new rulemaking would likely continue the work of some of the...more
As noted in our prior update, in November 2014, the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice requesting industry comment on a Petition filed by TracFone Wireless regarding 911 fees charged to Lifeline...more
Late last week, USAC announced an extension of the application deadline for Funding Year 2015 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2015). FCC Form 471 applications must be submitted on or before 11:59:59 pm EDT on Thursday, April 16, 2015....more
Section 254(d) of the Act requires providers of “telecommunications services” to contribute to the federal Universal Service Fund (USF), which is used to subsidize telephone and broadband service in high-cost areas, for...more
On a party-line 3-2 vote, the FCC on February 26, 2015, approved new Open Internet (or Net Neutrality) rules, although it has not released the text of its actual ruling. Based on an FCC press release and a written statement...more
On December 19, the FCC released the text of its Second Report and Order in its E-rate modernization proceeding. The new Order increased the annual spending cap on the E-rate program by an additional $1.5 billion—taking the...more