Olivia Trusty, nominee for the open Republican Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Commissioner position, appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Trusty has...more
The future of healthcare once seemed like science fiction—think of The Jetsons, the iconic 1960s animated show where families communicate via video calls and receive virtual checkups. But today, telehealth has rapidly become...more
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research (consolidated with SHLB Coalition v. Consumers’ Research), a case about the role of executive administrative...more
Last Friday, in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Heath, the Supreme Court unanimously held that requests for funding from the FCC’s E-rate program are “claims” for purposes of the False Claims Act (FCA), settling...more
Broadband and telecommunications service providers should redouble efforts to comply with the rules of the FCC's "E-Rate" program that subsidizes service to schools and libraries as a result of a Supreme Court ruling that...more
On December 13, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced significant updates to its Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. This enhanced tool, now incorporating a range of new health metrics, aims to...more
A bipartisan coalition of 22 AGs and the Maine Office of the Public Advocate filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in consolidated cases FCC v. Consumers’ Research (No. 24-354) and Schools, Health & Libraries...more
Targeting Overbuilds and Improving Coordination Among Agencies. Under Commissioner Brendan Carr, expect to see a new approach to broadband funding that is focused on encouraging coordination of broadband funds among agencies...more
The constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund (USF) funding mechanism is currently being litigated, and its future has long been the subject of debate in Congress. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit found the...more
The 2024 election is over and Republicans are poised in January to take over Washington, D.C.—in the White House, on the Hill, at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and at other agencies (the National...more
As the Trump administration prepares to return to power in 2025, the communications and technology sectors are bracing for significant regulatory shifts, with experts predicting major changes in areas ranging from spectrum...more
For decades, there has been broad, bipartisan support for the Universal Service Fund and the FCC programs that help communications reach low-income households and the most rural and least-connected communities in the United...more
The 2024 election cycle, one of the longest and most contentious in U.S. history, will culminate Election Day on November 5. However, many aspects of the election are expected to be close and uncertainty may reign for some...more
Just how broad is the scope of the False Claims Act (FCA)? That is the basic question posed in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Heath, No. 23-1127. Put more directly, the case addresses whether reimbursement requests...more
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the Universal Service Fund (USF) funding mechanism is unconstitutional. The full court, sitting en banc, rejected the framework established by the Federal Communications Commission...more
In July, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) to violate the Constitution in several ways. This decision reversed an earlier decision by a panel of the court...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently ruled in a closely divided 9-7 en banc decision that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) method of funding the Universal Service Fund (USF) is an...more
On July 24, 2024, on a petition for rehearing en banc, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held in Consumers’ Research v. FCC (Consumers’ Research) that the current funding mechanism for the Universal...more
On June 11, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") issued a Report and Order creating the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program ("Pilot Program") to provide funding for K-12 schools, libraries, and...more
The FCC has adopted a three-year pilot program that will disburse up to $200 million from the Universal Service Fund (USF) to schools and libraries seeking to cover eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. The pilot...more
RECENT NEWS - General - On March 2, 2024, in the School and Libraries docket, CC Docket No. 02-6, in the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program docket, WC Docket No. 21-93, in the Contribution Methodology docket, WC...more
The Fifth and D.C. Circuit federal appellate courts are now poised to issue pivotal decisions in the ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality of the FCC’s universal service support mechanisms. Their opinions will...more
General - • On August 24, 2023, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) issued a Public Notice (DA 23-753) seeking nominations for six positions on the Board of Directors for the Universal Service Administrative Company...more
The legal battles over the constitutionality of Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions continue as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has granted a request for the full court to re-hear a challenge to the...more