The FCC denied Aureon's petition to revisit intercarrier rules eliminating access arbitrage, in an order on reconsideration Thursday. Commissioners voted 5-0 on a Wireline Bureau recommendation to dismiss the petition "as procedurally defective, and independently, and in the alternative, deny it on substantive grounds."

The digital divide narrowed slightly between whites and others 2017-19, blogged NTIA Associate Administrator-Office of Policy Analysis and Development Evelyn Remaley Wednesday. Data collected with the Census Bureau showed Americans ages 3 and older going online rose a point to 79%. African Americans and Hispanics were 7 points less likely to use the internet than whites, and Asian Americans 4 points less likely. Over the past two decades, Remaley said, "disparities in Internet use based on race and ethnicity have narrowed significantly." Internet use among Americans with family incomes below $25,000 yearly grew three points 2017-19 to 65%, "far short of the 87 percent of those with family incomes of $100,000 or more," the post said.

Colorado senators voted 33-0 Tuesday to pass a telehealth bill (SB-212) that would expand Medicaid reimbursement. It goes next to the House. New Jersey legislators introduced three telemedicine bills Monday. A-4215 would extend the state’s emergency telehealth law and executive order until 90 days following the end of the COVID-19 crisis. S-2556 would extend them for another year afterward. S-2559 would require reimbursement for telehealth to be equal to reimbursement for equivalent in-person services. Current law requires telehealth reimbursement up to the amount of in-person services.

The FCC will defer Form 470 changes on E-rate drop-down menu options until funding year 2022, citing COVID-19, said a public notice Monday. Staff told Universal Service Administrative Co. to not deny applications due to a confusing option on the menu (see 1911180012).

The most recent winners in the Connect America Fund phase II auction must submit letters of credit and bankruptcy code opinion letters from legal counsel in each state in which they have winning bids by June 18, several FCC bureaus said in a public notice in Friday's Daily Digest.

NARUC President Brandon Presley believes a letter Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., sent the FCC seeking information on options for speeding distribution of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase I funding (see 2006020036) “is helpful,” but “legislation would be the strongest signal to get this done,” Presley tweeted Wednesday. The FCC “will write back with every possible bureaucratic delay that they can come up with,” said Presley, a Democratic Mississippi public service commissioner. “Congress holds the power to override them” and Wicker “should file a bill to do so.” Presley earlier endorsed (see 2005280048) the Rural Broadband Acceleration Act (HR-7022), which Wicker referenced in his letter. That bill would require the FCC award funding by Sept. 30 to some Phase I applicants.

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau will take comments for 30 days, replies 15 days later, after Federal Register publication, on whether to terminate as dormant 515 docketed proceedings, said a public notice Tuesday for docket 20-158.

The USF contribution factor will reach a record 26.5% in Q3, up from Q2's 19.6%, emailed consultant Billy Jack Gregg Monday. Q4's was a then-record 25% (see 1909130003).

OMB approved three-year information collection requirements for the FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, effective Tuesday, says that day's Federal Register. Some technical and financial data for form 183 will be treated as confidential.

SpaceX urged the FCC to forbear from requiring an eligible telecom carrier designation for participants in high-cost USF support programs, in reply comments on market competition posted through Friday in docket 20-60. "Requiring broadband providers to secure regulatory authorizations for voice service only serves to frustrate new entrants and stifle competition." Limits on the number radio outlets one company can own in a market “remain necessary to promote diversity, localism, and competition,” said the Future of Music Coalition and musicFIRST Coalition in joint replies on the report. Local content is “a casualty” of consolidation, the music rights groups said. “Loosening current ownership restrictions could potentially provide economic benefit to only a subset of AM/FM broadcasters.” the groups said. NAB noted radio stations face much competition (see 2005280061).