On August 13, 2021, a divided D.C. Circuit panel granted petitions for review of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) 2019 order that terminated a Notice of Inquiry concerning the FCC's guidelines for radiofrequency...more
The FCC has issued additional guidance following its release of the Telehealth Order on April 2, 2020. The portal for accepting applications will open on Monday, April 13 at noon Eastern (per guidance issued April 10)....more
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress appropriated significant funding for a number of telehealth programs and initiatives, including funding for programs administered by the...more
Completion (RCC) proceeding (WC Docket No. 13-39). The Third RCC Order builds on the Commission’s prior rulings and is the first order that implements the requirements of the Rural Call Completion Act, which was enacted in...more
On July 18, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released a Report and Order that revamps the procedural rules governing formal complaint proceedings. ...more
The FCC’s 2011 Intercarrier Compensation Transformation Order adopted a framework in which terminating end office switching charges and most other charges associated with terminating traffic to the PSTN were to be reduced to...more
The wheel that is U.S. policy on “net neutrality” has taken another turn. On November 22, 2017, the FCC released a draft of the Internet Freedom Order, which, when effective, will reverse the Commission’s 2015 Open Internet...more
On April 27, 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai released the draft text of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “Internet Freedom NPRM”) that would reverse the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order. The Open Internet Order, which has now...more
Much like Freddy Kruger, the legal battles between ILECs and CLECs over reciprocal compensation simply refuse to die. The most recent flare-up of this long-running war was last Friday’s ruling by D.C. Circuit Judge Stephen...more
In 2015, Facebook announced with some fanfare the rollout of its “Free Basics” service in India. Partnering with the wireless telecom Reliance, customers that downloaded the Free Basics app onto their smartphones could use...more
The FCC’s Battery Back-up Order takes effect on Feb. 16, 2016. The Order requires all facilities-based VoIP providers with more than 100,000 U.S. customer lines to provide customers the option to purchase battery backup power...more
The FCC issued on Oct.30, 2015 a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would update several rules governing hearing aid compatible (HAC) telephones and handsets. The proposed rules apply to manufactures, including, for the first...more
On March 30, 2015, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, Second Report and Order, and Order on Reconsideration (“Order”). The Order updates the FCC’s “Part 4” network outage reporting rules to reflect technological...more
On February 4, 2015, the FCC issued a press release describing the Open Internet (or Net Neutrality) rules Chairman Wheeler will bring to a vote at the Commission’s February 26, 2015 meeting. The draft order is now being...more
2/6/2015
On Jan. 30, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a Petition AT&T had filed in November 2012, seeking to conduct trials of the transition from TDM technology to all-Internet Protocol (IP)...more
On Nov. 8, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its Rural Call Completion Report and Order adopting rules to address problems with the completion of long-distance calls to rural end user customers, as...more