The FCC received more than $2.8 billion in funding requests during the third and final round of Emergency Connectivity Fund support, said a news release Wednesday (see 2203240054). More than 7,000 schools, 628 libraries and 133 consortiums sought funding for more than 5 million devices and more than 4 million broadband connections. The FCC expects to fund "many" of the requests, adding it will prioritize applicants "with the greatest need" and those located in rural areas first. “The continued interest in the [ECF] demonstrates ... far too many kids across the country need off-campus support to get online and keep up with their schoolwork," said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

Aventiv Technologies asked the FCC to grant its subsidiary Securus' petition to waive FCC rules on inmate calling services requiring interstate and intermediate calls to be charged at a per-minute rate in a meeting with Commissioner Brendan Carr, said an ex parte posted Tuesday in docket 12-375 (see 2201100037). Securus sought a waiver to continue a subscription plan pilot program. The pilot "demonstrated an increase in the communication time between incarcerated persons and their loved ones at lower cost than the commission’s interim rate caps and below the facilities’ existing rates on average," Aventiv said. "Many family members" of incarcerated individuals have asked that the program be restarted.

The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comments by May 31, replies by June 7, on Blue Casa Telephone's request for a waiver of a biennial audit as a Lifeline eligible telecom carrier, said a public notice Monday in docket 11-42. Blue Casa said in its petition that it was selected to undergo an audit for the 2019 calendar year but is "subject to stringent regulation and supervision" by the California Public Utilities Commission and its designated third-party administrator regarding "eligibility determinations and claim submission." The carrier has "neither the means nor the opportunity to engage in activities that could result in waste or fraud," it said, and the "external cost of undergoing an audit ... would significantly exceed Blue Casa's monthly Lifeline reimbursement from the federal program."

FCC Connected Care Pilot program participants must end their projects by Dec. 31, 2025, said a Wireline Bureau public notice Friday in docket 18-213 (see 2203160031). The bureau said strict compliance of the requirement that projects end within three years of receiving service will "prevent some program participants from conducting a full three year pilot project" if they don't start until the fall. Requests for services are due by Aug. 18 and funding requests are due by Sept. 16, the notice said.

Some changes were made to a draft FCC order and Further NPRM targeting gateway providers and foreign-originated robocalls, in the version adopted by commissioners Thursday, as expected, according to our comparison from the draft (see 2205190023). The order maintained the requirement that gateway providers implement a Stir/Shaken C-level attestation, saying "the benefits will be significant, and the sooner we act, the sooner the public will obtain these benefits." The FNPRM included a TransNexus-sought question about whether to allow third-party Stir/Shaken authentication. An NPRM seeking comment on an Alternative Connect America Cost Model Broadband Coalition proposal to extend the program also included some changes. The notice included a question about whether participating providers should be required to participate in the affordable connectivity program. It also seeks comment on "how to address intergovernmental coordination and eligibility for locations on tribal lands."

The FCC's third public hearing on consumer broadband labels will be May 25 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Thursday in docket 22-2 (see 2204070059). The hearing will include several panels of consumers, experts, digital navigators, disability rights advocates and representatives from federal agencies.

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted Elite Program Specialists a waiver on behalf of 14 members and 68 member sites in the Louisiana Independent Hospital Network Coalition of rural healthcare program rules to file late funding year 2021 funding requests, said an order Thursday in docket 02-60. The bureau cited "federally declared natural disasters resulting from severe weather conditions" that prevented the providers from timely filing their funding requests. The bureau on its own also waived its competitive bidding rules.

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau announced 2022-23 allocations for the national deaf-blind equipment distribution program, iCanConnect, said a public notice Monday in docket 10-210. The bureau set aside $250,000 of the $10 million for national outreach by the Perkins School for the Blind and $150,000 to maintain its centralized database or programs to submit information and generate reimbursement claims. The remaining $9.6 million will be used to reimburse certified programs for "the cost of equipment and authorized related services," the notice said.

The FCC committed nearly $50 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support, totaling nearly $4.9 billion so far, said a news release Tuesday (see 2205040045). The new funding includes more than $49 million in commitments from applicants during the first window and more than $1 million from the second application window. It will support 46 schools, seven libraries and two consortiums.

Lumen asked the FCC to reject Aureon's proposed tariff refund plan, after an FCC order requiring the company to submit information needed to calculate refunds to its customers, in comments posted Monday in docket 18-60 (see 2204280038). Lumen said Aureon used actual minutes of use to calculate interstate switched access transport rates that the FCC previously found unlawful and it "continues to overstate its revenue requirement." The FCC "should scrutinize the Aureon revenue requirements supporting the refund access rates to ensure that Aureon has complied with prior commission directive," it said.