The FCC will take up yet another order implementing the telecommunications industry-developed framework to verify that the information that appears in the caller ID is accurate. The framework is designed to combat illegal...more
Last week, the Federal Communication Commission’s (“FCC”) Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (“Bureau”) resolved two of the many pending petitions seeking relief and clarification concerning the requirements of the...more
In an order released on April 30, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made more airwaves available for use by wireless devices that monitor patients’ vital signs. The agency long ago set aside spectrum for what...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program, as authorized by the CARES Act, and separately created a $100 million, three-year Connected Care Pilot Program. The...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order on March 20, 2020, confirming that the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an “emergency” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) relieving hospitals, health...more
We have previously issued several alerts regarding the ability of eligible tribal entities to apply for certain airwave licenses that can be used for wireless internet access and other services. The window for applying for...more
Multi-line voice communications systems sold or installed after Feb. 16, 2020, must comply with new E911 obligations. These requirements apply to IP-based, cloud communications services as well as traditional TDM-based...more
As we previously reported, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will provide rural tribes with an opportunity to apply for free wireless airwaves in the 2.5 GHz band. The FCC has now set the window during which...more
Compromise robocall legislation, called the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act (“Act”), is likely to be enacted soon. The Act enhances the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) enforcement powers, mandates adoption of the...more
12/3/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Bad Actors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Do Not Call List ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FCC ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Robocalling ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Harbors ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on ways to improve the dialogue between tribes and carriers that provide subsidized telephone and broadband services to tribal areas using federal universal...more
In the latest twist in the net neutrality saga, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC” or “Commission”) 2017 decision to once again classify...more
10/10/2019
/ Broadband ,
Communications Act 2003 ,
FCC ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Net Neutrality ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Preemption ,
Public Safety ,
Telecommunications ,
Title II
On Sept. 18, 2019, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on tribal access to spectrum. Spectrum are slices of airwaves used to send signals to wireless devices like smartphones. One of the key messages was...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released an order making available certain airwaves for broadband wireless services on rural tribal lands. These airwaves, in the 2.5 GHz spectrum band, were previously set...more
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has launched a review of arrangements between building owners and communications companies that govern the provision of communication services to building tenants. The purpose of...more
7/17/2019
/ 5G Network ,
Anticompetitive Agreements ,
Broadband ,
Competition ,
Exclusive Dealing Agreements ,
Exclusive Use ,
FCC ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Leaseback ,
Local Ordinance ,
Preemption ,
Property Owners ,
Public Comment ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Rulemaking Process ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Wireless Industry
On May 21, the CFPB published its long-awaited proposed rule on debt collection practices (“Proposed Rule”) in large part to address application of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) to modern collection issues....more
6/5/2019
/ Bright-Line Rule ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
FCC ,
FDCPA ,
Opt-Outs ,
Popular ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Proposed Rules ,
Robocalling ,
TCPA
In its ongoing efforts to tackle the proliferation of illegal or unwanted “robocalls,” the FCC has released a draft order that would authorize all providers of voice services to offer to their customers call blocking as a...more
As directed by Congress in last year’s RAY BAUM’s Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) delivered to the House and Senate Commerce committees its evaluation of broadband coverage in Indian country. The FCC’s bottom...more
Late last month, we warned that pending litigation in the Fourth and Ninth Circuits seeking to have the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) declared unconstitutional based on the statutory government debt collection...more
First Amendment challenges to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) are in the midst of a revival. The TCPA makes it unlawful to call or text a cell phone using an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) or...more
3/29/2019
/ Commercial Speech ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Debt Collection ,
FCC ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reed v Town of Gilbert ,
Standard of Review ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing
We recently reported that the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) had published a draft order establishing a reassigned number database. The database would provide a central source for callers to determine whether the...more
Intrusive, unwanted calls are the Federal Communications Commission’s top consumer complaint. As part of its efforts to combat robocalls, the FCC has released two draft orders that are slated to be approved at its next open...more
The Federal Communications Commission has made closing the “digital divide” a top priority, particularly on tribal lands. Despite this lofty goal, and millions of federal dollars theoretically available to subsidize building...more
The Federal Communications Commission will seek public comment on proposed new rules to require that 911 calls made from hotels, offices and campuses automatically include precise location information, such as room or floor...more
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) is slated to consider potential new rules concerning the use of 800 numbers at its upcoming June 7, 2018, open meeting. One item involves the increasing ability of consumers to...more
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) is reconsidering its approach to key Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) issues following the D.C. Circuit overturning portions of the 2015 Omnibus TCPA Order. Although...more