More than 17 million households have enrolled in the FCC's affordable connectivity program to date, the agency announced Monday. The FCC partnered with the U.S. Digital Service to develop "a series of enhancements to the online consumer application system," said a news release. Among the changes included "providing clear instructions, to decrease steps and to simplify language while continuing to protect against waste, fraud and abuse and guarding the integrity of the program." The rollout is "part of our ongoing work to improve the consumer experience with the program," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. U.S. Digital Service Deputy Administrator Cori Zarek said the changes will "streamline the process" to ensure "as little friction as possible" during the application process. The enhancements were "developed in consultation with digital navigators, digital equity advocates, and [ISPs]."
The FCC Wireline Bureau denied Ziply's petition to waive Connect America Fund performance testing support recovery requirements in an order Friday in docket 10-90. Ziply said in its petition that it "inherited" an "aging" DSL-based network from Frontier that had a "faulty line card," causing the provider to fail its latency testing requirements in Q4 of 2021. The bureau said Ziply's argument was "not compelling," saying ensuring the network "was in good working order and had reliable back-up" was Ziply's responsibility once it acquired the network. "We find that while Ziply may have experienced supply chain issues, the testing failures were not out of Ziply’s control, and primarily resulted from Ziply’s failure to properly maintain and monitor its network," the order said.
The FCC committed more than $2.8 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Thursday. The new funding will support 15 schools, five libraries and one consortium, said a news release. “With today’s funding round, we continue our progress in providing students the online access they need to connect with their teachers and keep up with schoolwork,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
ATIS asked the FCC to direct the Toll Free Numbering Administration to release the nearly 16,000 "833" toll-free numbers into the spare pool as soon as possible so they can be available to businesses that wish to use the numbers," (see 2206290051), per an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 17-192. Meeting with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, the group also sought an "equitable allocation method under which the unassigned “800” TFNs would be made eligible for allocation but with an allocation limit of 125 numbers" per responding organization.
An FCC NPRM reaffirming the Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics' Office's data collection authority for inmate calling services is effective Thursday, said a notice for that day's Federal Register. Commissioners adopted an item starting the implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act during their March meeting (see 2303160009).
Sorenson Communications urged the FCC to address video relay service rates before the next funding year. The COVID-19 pandemic "reshaped how Americans communicate" and VRS has "fallen very far behind services available to the hearing population," Sorenson said in a letter posted Tuesday in docket 03-123, saying the service is "no longer functionally equivalent." VRS users "have been waiting during the pandemic and now beyond for VRS to catch up with services now widely used by the hearing population," it said.
The FCC Wireline Bureau released draft guidance Monday on the type of data to be collected for the affordable connectivity program's data collection. Comments on the proposed information collection are due May 15 in docket 21-450, said a public notice.
ZP Better Together urged the FCC to act on video relay service reimbursement rates, in separate meetings with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, plus aides to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. ZP said the FCC "will need to adopt an order approving new VRS rates on or before June 30" to avoid another rate extension, per an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 03-123.
A coalition of industry groups raised concerns about certain consumer broadband label requirements, in a meeting with FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau staff. USTelecom, CTIA, ACA Connects, NTCA and NCTA said the requirement that providers display pass-through fees from government agencies is "an unwarranted departure from the commission’s approach in 2016 and adds unnecessary complexity to the label for providers and consumers," per an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 22-2. The groups asked the FCC to grant its petition clarifying that providers can satisfy this requirement by providing an explanatory statement saying such fees may apply. They also asked that providers be allowed to satisfy the requirement that they document instances when a customer is directed to the label at an alternate sales channel by "developing appropriate business practices to promote distribution of the label through alternative sales channels and retaining documentation of these practices and any associated training materials for two years."
An FCC order adopted in January improving the rural healthcare program's funding mechanism is effective April 24, said a notice for Thursday's Federal Register (see 2301260041). Rules on the urban rate determination, rural rate determination, and invoicing are delayed indefinitely. The FCC also wants comments by April 24, replies by May 22, in docket 17-310 on the rate determination rules, said a separate notice for Thursday's Federal Register.