Fiber is “more expensive” than other technologies and “often not going to be the right answer,” said Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten during a Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy webinar Wednesday. “The push for fiber is way overblown,” Wallsten said: “In many places, it is not justified.” Wallsten said more households will need to be served through federal broadband investments if policymakers set a higher definition of broadband. Prior subsidies haven't been done "efficiently," Wallsten said, noting the GAO “has been telling the FCC for years that they need to fix” its high-cost programs. Funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be given directly to the states under NTIA oversight, he said. "We don't know yet" what kind of difference the investments will make.
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted in part the Georgia Department of Public Health and ENA Healthcare Services' appeal of the Universal Service Administrative Co.'s decision to recover funding for FY 2015 and FY 2016 through the rural healthcare program, and its denial of funding for the state's Southeast Health District during FY 2017 and FY 2018, said an order in Wednesday's Daily Digest. The bureau remanded certain funding requests during FY 2017 to USAC and directed it to "calculate the funding commitment amounts" for these requests "using the documented urban rate" that the Southeast Health District had in its appeal. The bureau also granted a limited waiver of the program's competitive bidding rules. It disagreed that the Southeast Health District's failure to submit bid copies was a "minor clerical error" but granted the limited waiver because the health district took "careful steps" in "apparent good faith compliance" with competitive bidding requirements. It also cited USAC's recommendation that the health district file two forms "to circumvent USAC's internal application filing limitations in a manner to permit the timely rollout of service." The bureau remanded the appealed funding requests to USAC to determine whether the competitive bidding documentation complied with commission rules.
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau granted Sorenson conditional certification to continue providing video relay service supported by the Telecom Relay Service Fund after Ariel GP Holdco's acquisition of the provider, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123 (see 2112200045). The bureau directed Sorenson to file an application for full certification "within 15 days after the date the merger transaction is consummated," the notice said. The bureau also granted Sorenson's CaptionCall conditional certification to continue providing IP captioned telephone service and imposed the same condition on the provider for full certification.
An FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics order adopting the third mandatory data collection for inmate calling services is "delayed indefinitely," said a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register (see 2201180075). An effective date will be announced upon OMB approval.
The FCC Wireline Bureau extended until May 13 the Connect America Fund Phase II eligible locations adjustment process (ELAP) registration deadline for prospective stakeholders, said a public notice Tuesday in docket 10-90 (see 2111290050). It also modified the challenge filing window to May 20 through Aug. 18. The bureau also made two changes to "simplify" the ELAP process, it said. Objections to an acknowledgement of confidentiality must file an objection "through an FCC-accredited account" that's managed by the Universal Service Administrative Co. The bureau will "share certified stakeholder information with participants ... directly through the ELAP module" instead of repopulating the ELAP map with stakeholder information.
The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition asked the FCC to direct the Universal Service Administrative Co. to "make public certain non-confidential information" about the rural healthcare program's funding demand and extend the comment deadline by 30 days, replies by 60 days, after it does so, per a letter posted Tuesday in docket 17-130. The group sought information to provide "meaningful input" on a further NPRM seeking comment on program revisions (see 2203140052). Information requested included data on gross demand for rural healthcare funding for the past 10 years, annual data for "each of the last 10 years" of committed and disbursed funds for the telecom program and healthcare connect fund, and historical data for the healthcare connect fund internal cap.
GlobalVRS asked the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau to extend up to 90 days its waiver of commission rules on at-home video relay service call handling, said an ex parte letter posted Monday in docket 03-123. It sought an extension of up to 90 days of the rules for equivalent support and equipping home workstations with monitoring technology. The waivers are scheduled to expire on March 31. GlobalVRS said it's "prepared to comply" with the rules by then, but a waiver would allow it to "ensure fully functional equipment deployment" and complete "on-site workstation inspections to confirm compliance." The provider also sought the extension to test a "newly sourced software application that integrates ongoing monitoring and supporting data collection."
3Way Video Relay Service submitted an application to the FCC to become a licensed video relay service provider funded by the Telecom Relay Service Fund, per an application posted Monday in docket 03-123. The company said it has one call center and had its VRS platform developed by Quantum Services Group. 3Way Video Relay Service will use Monday.com to "maintain VRS user demographic information," it said. The company also provided details about its communications assistants' employment requirements, TRS compliance, and interoperability.
The FCC made some changes to its final Further NPRM, released Friday, on pole replacement and attachment disputes, according to our comparison with the draft, as expected (see 2203160031). The FNPRM included questions about whether it's "discriminatory to deny attachment to another broadband provider based on lack of capacity" and "other infrastructure-related barriers that broadband providers are facing in their efforts to quickly deploy broadband." The FCC's final notice of inquiry on digital discrimination included a question sought by the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council about where the FCC should consider whether certain parts of its eventual rules are severable (see 2203150051).
The National Lifeline Association asked the FCC Wireline Bureau to clarify that its and the Enforcement Bureau's authority to "suspend a participating provider's [affordable connectivity program] enrollments and hold participating provider funding based on the 'adequate evidence' standard is limited," said a petition for reconsideration and clarification posted Thursday in docket 21-450. The authority "should be a last resort to be invoked," NaLa said, asking that "minor infractions or improper payments" don't result in such a penalty. NaLa also sought reconsideration of the requirement that participating providers offering a connected device "provide price information for at least one of the analogous devices from a major retailer." It asked that providers be allowed to provide two retail prices from any retailer to substantiate their claim for market value.