The 120-day initial national security review for OpenMarket's proposed buy of Peerless Network began Monday, said the Committee for Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecom Services Sector, per a filing in docket 21-434. The FCC "will be notified promptly" if the review needs to be extended or if the application must undergo a 90-day secondary assessment. If approved, Peerless Holdings subsidiary Peerless Network would become indirectly owned by OpenMarket.
Give Connect America Fund broadband loop support recipients a "more reasonable period of time for commencement of pre-testing obligations" for non-high-cost universal broadband locations provided to carriers by the Universal Service Administrative Co. in December, NTCA told an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, per a filing Monday in docket 10-90. The group said individual or combined waiver requests should be allowed as an alternative. A "significant proportion of companies" didn't receive USAC's survey that would determine carrier's deployment data reporting status, NTCA said, and some have expressed concerns about meeting their pretest obligations.
The FCC's order establishing rules for the affordable connectivity program takes effect March 16, says Monday's Federal Register (see 2201210082). Providers have until April 15 to "complete necessary changes and ensure that the affordable connectivity benefit can be applied to all generally available and currently sold plans." Comments are also due by March 16, replies April 15, on an NPRM on proposals for ACP awareness and outreach efforts, says Monday's FR.
FCC emergency broadband benefit program providers that uploaded, but didn't certify, reimbursement claims for services in October and November may certify their claims by March 15, said a Wireline Bureau order Friday in docket 20-445, in response to a waiver request from GCI Communications. The bureau also denied T-Mobile's petition for declaratory ruling that it timely submitted a reimbursement claim for its subsidiary Assurance Wireless for October services, allowing the company to instead submit certified reimbursement claims by March 15.
The FCC Wireline Bureau wants comments by March 14, replies by March 29, on the National Exchange Carrier Association's proposed changes to the average schedule interstate settlement disbursements formulas for July 1 through June 30, 2023, said a public notice Thursday in docket 21-473.
OMB approved for three years, effective Friday, information collection requirements for the FCC's July order lowering interim interstate rate caps for inmate calling services, says that day's Federal Register (see 2107270055).
Extend the Emergency Connectivity Fund's service delivery deadline until June 30, 2023, said the E-Rate Management Professionals Association in a letter to all FCC commissioners Thursday in docket 21-93. The association cited supply chain shortages, where at least one school was told by a provider that the item approved for funding was no longer available, and staffing shortages that have caused delays in processing requests. Extending the deadline "will allow the applicants to fully utilize this valuable funding opportunity in alignment with the ECF program goals," it said. It backed a similar request by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Consortium for School Networking, State Educational Technology Directors Association and American Library Association.
The North American Numbering Council unanimously approved a report from the call authentication trust anchor working group recommending best practices for terminating voice service providers using Stir/Shaken caller ID authentication, during a virtual meeting Wednesday (see 2112150052). The working group divided its recommendations into near-term and long-term best practices. It suggested the FCC consider a referral to the working group for further study on how enterprise customers may benefit from information beyond a Shaken verification result.
AT&T's claims it offers "up to 20x faster upload speed" than cable is a "misleading claim" because the disclosures "were not sufficiently clear and prominent to limit the claim to AT&T’s fastest fiber service," said a Better Business Bureau National Advertising Review Board panel Wednesday in response to the ISP's appeal (see 2111180033). The panel recommended AT&T modify or discontinue certain advertising claims about its fiber internet service and "avoid making the implied claim that fiber technology provides faster internet service in general or is invariably superior to cable technology." AT&T told the panel it "will comply" with its decision but “respectfully disagrees[s] with the balance of NARB’s conclusion recommending that other AT&T Fiber ads should be discontinued or modified.” AT&T didn't comment further.
The FCC's pending order on broadband access in multi-tenant environments is "unnecessary" and would "hamper deployment and limit competition," said the National Multifamily Housing Council in separate meetings with aides to all commissioners, per an ex parte filing Wednesday in docket 17-142 (see 2201210039). "Regulation is not needed in market-rate apartment communities, and the kinds of rules proposed in this docket will not solve the true problems in low-income communities," NMHC said, saying the proposed ban on sale-and-leaseback agreements should be "narrowly targeted to address the stated concern that cable companies are transferring their ownership of inside wiring to building owners so as to avoid certain regulatory obligations." It asked the FCC to close its docket on the issue if it adopts the order.