The FCC committed nearly $159 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support, bringing total to nearly $5.3 billion so far, said a news release Thursday (see 2206090070). The new funding supports applications from all three filing windows and will go to more than 350 schools, 50 libraries and four consortiums. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said she's "grateful that Congress has provided this funding to help close this homework gap, so students all over the country can connect with their teachers and online assignments when they are away from school.”

ATIS sought guidance from the FCC Wireline Bureau on distribution of nearly 16,000 toll-free numbers that are still being held by Somos, the current toll-free number administrator. The numbers "have been sitting unused for almost five years" and there have been "multiple inquiries" about releasing them, ATIS said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 17-192. It asked the bureau to direct Somos to release the numbers into a spare pool "as soon as possible." ATIS also asked the FCC to make unassigned true 800 numbers eligible for allocation with a limit of 125 numbers per organization.

The FCC Wireline Bureau and International Bureau conditionally approved Stonepeak's $2.7 billion buy of Lumen's Latin American business, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 21-340 (see 2107260056). The approval was conditioned on both companies complying with an NTIA petition on "national security and law enforcement considerations," plus commitments laid out in a letter of agreement.

The FCC Wireline Bureau amended its financial reporting requirements for rate-of-return high-cost recipients to align with the Rural Utilities Services' rules, said an order Tuesday in docket 10-90. RUS amended its rules to no longer require borrowers reports from certain loan recipients. Privately held rate-of-return companies and RUS loan recipients are required to submit the "functional equivalent" of the operating report for telecom borrowers report when filing their Form 481, the order said. The rule change is effective 30 days after Federal Register publication. The bureau also waived the reporting requirement for covered companies for filings covering calendar year 2021.

The FCC Wireline Bureau updated its annual reporting and certification forms for inmate calling services, in an order Friday. The revisions reflect "minor refinements and reevaluations" in response to comments the commission received (see 2112160075). The bureau declined to reduce the categories of rate data, limit information collection for international rates, or remove questions about geographic location data. The order's effective date was delayed indefinitely pending OMB approval. "We expect that this effective date will be established long before the April 2023 due date for providers’ next annual reports and certifications for calendar year 2022," the order said.

LTD Broadband withdrew its petition for reconsideration of an FCC order denying the ISP's request for a limited waiver of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction rules requiring eligible telecom carrier designation, per a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-126. LTD Broadband sought reconsideration of the order denying a waiver for its effort to obtain ETC designation in California. The California Public Utilities Commission denied a rehearing on a previous order rejecting LTD Broadband's ETC designation request in May (see 2205170058). The ISP has a pending petition for reconsideration on its efforts to obtain ETC designation in Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota.

Allow ISPs to have "at least a six-month initial implementation period" after OMB approval of the FCC's final rules for consumer broadband labels, NCTA asked in separate meetings with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr, per an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 22-2 (see 2203250053). NCTA also asked the FCC to treat its 2016 consumer broadband labels "as the model" for the new labels required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The group was on the commission's consumer advisory committee that established the original labels. "Additional mandated disclosures are unwarranted," NCTA said, and would make the labels "less effective in assisting consumers in choosing the broadband service that meets their needs."

AT&T asked the FCC to "not advance new high-cost fixed or mobile broadband deployment programs or extend existing programs" until the recent funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is "distributed and evaluated." The request came in a meeting with Office of Economics and Analytics and Office of General Counsel staff, per an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 21-476 (see 2206060065). It's "too early to know how or where states and other federal agencies will utilize this funding," AT&T said, but the "unprecedented level of funding cannot be ignored."

Hamilton Relay asked the FCC to extend until Aug. 31 a call takeover waiver for its web-based CapTel for Business IP captioned telephone service, said a letter posted Thursday in docket 03-123 (see 2203010071). The service "presents unique challenges because of its different phone interface" and "unexpected development obstacles ... [which] could cause Hamilton to miss the June 30 deadline," it said.

The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comments by July 18, replies by Aug. 1, in docket 21-450 on the National Lifeline Association's petition for clarification that the Wireline and Enforcement Bureaus' authority to suspend an affordable connectivity program provider's enrollment or hold funding based on the "adequate evidence" standard, said a notice prepared for Friday's Federal Register (see 2203170065). It also wants comments on NaLA's request for clarification that a provider offering a connected device must provide price information for "at least one of the analogous devices from a major retailer."