The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard argument on an important case that has the potential to upend a significant source of technology funding for school systems throughout the country. The FCC v. Consumers’ Research case,...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
Last week, the Supreme Court held oral argument in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research. The case addresses the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund programs aimed at providing...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
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
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
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
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
Pending decision could have significant impact on schools, libraries and consumers that rely on the programs funded by the USF - Although the impact will not likely be immediate, and it may be further changed on appeal, on...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