The FCC 5-0 order cutting IP captioned telephone service rates (see 2009300057) is effective Dec. 1, says Wednesday's Federal Register.

Comments are due Oct. 26, replies Nov. 3 on Traced Act implementation and how the FCC can ensure exemptions granted under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act include requirements about the classes of parties that get such exemptions, the classes of parties that can be called and the number of calls that can be made to a called party, says Friday's Federal Register.

Under the iconectiv proposal for competitive bidding to select a toll-free numbering administrator (TFNA) (see 2006300003), certain TFN services would be acquired through bidding such as TFN management, portability, reporting and billing, said a docket 20-174 ex parte posting Wednesday on iconectiv meetings with FCC Wireline Bureau staffers and an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. Iconectiv said the contract requirements for the competitively bid TFNA should include developing an application programming interface API for providing non-core TFNA services on a competitively neutral basis, and securing the TFN database.

The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau sought comment Tuesday on the amendment filed by ClearCaptions to its application for certification to provide IP captioned telephone service and for a waiver of “certain” FCC rules. Details were redacted from ClearCaptions’ request. Comments are due Nov. 5, replies Nov. 20, in docket 03-123.

The FCC Wireline Bureau sought comment Tuesday on TDS Telecom seeking waivers to demonstrate compliance with its alternative Connect America cost model buildout obligations. The telco seeks waiver of the first interim deployment milestone service obligations in California until July 1. The provider also seeks waiver “to allow it to count towards its buildout milestones locations to which TDS Telecom alleges it previously deployed broadband but failed to report to the Universal Service Administrative Company through the High Cost Universal Broadband portal,” the bureau said. Comments are due Oct. 21, replies Nov. 5, in docket 14-58.

Tell the FCC by Nov. 20 if interest remains in 10 pending petitions from 2003-05 to preempt state consumer protections against unwanted robocalls and faxes, says Tuesday’s Federal Register. Unless the Direct Marketing Association and other requesters object, their petitions will be dismissed with prejudice.

Traverse City (Michigan) Light & Power launched its fiber-based, municipal-owned broadband network, TCLPfiber, Thursday. It said the network initially provides access to 1,900 of its 12,700 residential and commercial customers, and it plans to expand the footprint.

The National Exchange Carrier Association and the FCC Wireline Bureau collaborated on tariff revisions that allow rural broadband carriers to offer discounts and service upgrades to families with children eligible for free and reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program, said an FCC news release Thursday. New customers of rural carriers can receive a 25% discount on certain broadband services, and existing eligible customers may get free faster connections, the release said. “With the continued reliance upon remote learning in many parts of the country, students need connectivity to learn from and communicate with their teachers and classmates,” said Chairman Ajit Pai in the release. The tariff revisions took effect Thursday, and the promotions are in effect through the end of June, the release said. “Each participating carrier will decide how to reach out to its community and to verify customer eligibility.”

All three Mississippi Public Service Commission members asked the FCC to audit AT&T on its use of more than $283 million in Connect America Fund support to expand broadband to 133,000 Mississippi locations. The FCC is looking into this, a spokesperson said Wednesday. “As part of our annual certification of” eligible telecom carriers, “evidence has been uncovered by our agency that leads to great concern surrounding the validity of AT&T Mississippi’s claims and the honesty of data submitted by them to the Universal Service Administrative Company’s High Cost Universal Broadband,” said a Tuesday letter signed by Chairman Dane Maxwell (R) and Commissioners Brandon Presley (D) and Brent Bailey (R). The PSC investigation found “concrete, specific examples” showing the company reported addresses as served when they aren't, said the commissioners, alleging AT&T has “actual knowledge” of the allegedly invalid submissions. AT&T responded last month to the PSC’s subpoena (see 2009180047). "The data we report as part of Phase II of the Connect America Fund is already subject to strict audit and compliance measures by the federal government," and the carrier is focused on deploying high-speed infrastructure across Mississippi, a company spokesperson emailed now.

E-rate support for broadband won’t matter in a security breach, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said in a Tuesday letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai posted in docket 13-184. The state agency supported Cisco’s waiver petition to permit schools and libraries to use E-rate Category Two funding for network security costs (see 2009080026). Granting a waiver for the 2020 program year might be tricky, but the FCC could grant Cisco’s petition for 2021 and seek comments on a waiver for 2022, the department said.