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.

The FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of the Managing Director issued guidance Thursday on wind down of the agency's COVID-19 telehealth program. Eligible telehealth expenses for equipment must be delivered and recurring services must be purchased by May 11, said a public notice in docket 20-89. The Oct. 31 deadline for submitting reimbursement requests and the Jan. 31 deadline to submit post-program feedback reports were unaffected.

The FCC committed more than $1.7 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support Wednesday. The new funding will support 15 schools and two libraries, said a news release.

A coalition of consumer advocacy organizations asked the FCC to extend until April 20 the reply comment deadline on an NPRM on digital discrimination (see 2302220045). The coalition, which included Public Knowledge, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Center for Accessible Technology, Communications Workers of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press, National Urban League, Next Century Cities, National Digital Inclusion Alliance and The Utility Reform Network, said the additional time is needed to "adequately examine the record and provide responsive replies to the complex issues raised in the record," per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 22-69.

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau wants comments by March 29, replies April 10, on Hamilton Relay's amended application for full certification to provide IP captioned telephone services supported by the Telecom Relay Fund, said a public notice Tuesday in docket 03-123.

USTelecom backed the Technology Channel Sales Professionals Association's petition for declaratory ruling on certain rural healthcare program rules. The group sought clarification of the prohibition of the use of consultants or third-party sales agents that have a financial stake in a provider (see 2203030054). Absent the change, USTelecom said its members participating in the program "cannot retain commissioned third-party sales agents for sales and services to health care providers that participate in the RHC program," per a letter posted Monday in docket 17-310.

USTelecom representatives sought clarification on two aspects of the draft Stir/Shaken order, scheduled for a vote at the FCC commissioners’ March 16 meeting (see 2302230059), in calls with the Wireline Bureau and staff for the four commissioners. The draft “recognizes the role that contracts will play in intermediate providers’ compliance with the new signing requirement,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 17-97: “Consistent with the Draft Order’s rejection of a strict liability standard, the Commission should make explicit that providers are deemed in compliance when they take such steps and have no reason to know, and do not know, that their upstream provider is sending unsigned traffic it originated.” The draft “properly limits mandated disclosures in Robocall Mitigation Plans to ‘formal actions or investigations … with findings of actual or suspected wrongdoing,’” USTelecom said. “To reduce uncertainty regarding the actions and investigations that trigger the requirement, the Commission should make clear that the formal actions and investigations also must be public,” the group said. David Frankel, CEO of conference call provider ZipDX, reported on a call with Wireline Bureau staff. “I did not ask for any new rules,” Frankel said: “Rather, I asked that the Commission take this opportunity to cite for the larger provider community how they might live up to their obligation to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent their networks from being used to facilitate illegal calling.”

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition's request to extend until May 1 the rural healthcare program filing window Wednesday (see 2302270070). It declined to grant the New England Telehealth Consortium and the Connections Telehealth Consortium's joint request for a two-month extension. The "lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic provide the necessary special circumstances to support a limited 28-day extension," said an order in docket 02-60. The bureau said it expects the latest extension to be the last one related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bureau also directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. to file the program's gross demand estimate by July 1 and the determination of unused funding from previous funding years during Q3 of 2023.

AT&T representatives met with staff from the FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics about USF, including the future of the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) program. “Specifically, we stressed how broken and in need of reform the current” USF “contributions mechanism and factor are,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 21-476: “Indeed, the perilous state of the contribution factor and how to modernize the funding mechanism was ‘one of the most intensively discussed topics’ in the Future of USF proceeding’s record.” Among AT&T’s recommendations are that the FCC consider making some ACAM locations eligible for broadband, equity, access and deployment program or other federal/state broadband funding programs, and whether “other technologies like fixed wireless already exist in ACAM-eligible areas and/or would be more cost-effective to reach certain high-cost locations.”

Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) Broadband Coalition members were back at the FCC last week, after meetings earlier in February (see 2302100048), seeking “immediate adoption of the enhancement plan,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 10-90. They met with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr. “Customers continue to wait for higher speed broadband and the longer the Commission takes to adopt and implement the enhanced ACAM program the longer it will be before customers can receive broadband at higher speeds,” the coalition said. WTA members also met with aides to Carr and Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “WTA strongly supports the ACAM Broadband Coalition’s proposal for an improved and extended Enhanced ACAM mechanism,” the group said: “WTA understands that there are ongoing discussions regarding some aspects of the Enhanced ACAM proposal, and it urges the Commission to resolve the outstanding questions and issue an order as expeditiously as possible so that its ACAM members can move forward rapidly to make their voluntary participation decisions, obtain the requisite equipment and construction services, and deploy the urgently needed 100/20 Mbps and higher broadband services.”