Groups Back NTCA Enhanced ACAM Petition; WISPA Opposed

Several industry groups backed a petition from NTCA seeking reconsideration of certain parts of the FCC's order establishing the enhanced alternative Connect America cost model (ACAM) program. Comments were posted Wednesday in docket 10-90 (see 2309180060). The ACAM Broadband Coalition said the modification would align the program's deployment milestones with those in NTIA's broadband, equity, access and deployment program. The South Dakota Telecom Association backed NTCA's request to reconsider how broadband data collection and broadband availability maps are verified, saying its members "have and will continue to spend significant time and resources" on the broadband data collection (BDC) challenge process. Said CTIA: Clarify that enhanced ACAM carriers have "a reasonable amount of time to update their cybersecurity risk management plans" after the National Institute of Standards and Technology updates its cybersecurity framework. The Wireless ISP Association opposed NTCA's petition, saying it "fails to identify any material error, omission or reason warranting reconsideration." The FCC "has well established procedures to determine the accuracy of the presence of would-be unsubsidized competition and the expertise and experience to review, consider, verify, audit and enforce BDC submissions," WISPA said.