The FCC Enforcement Bureau granted AT&T and Aureon's joint motion to dismiss a complaint against Aureon about a tariff dispute (see 2106230061), said an order Thursday in docket 17-5.
AT&T and Aureon asked the FCC to dismiss a complaint against Aureon about a tariff dispute, said a joint motion posted Wednesday in docket 17-56 (see 2105140053). The providers said they "formally settled the disputes."
The North American Numbering Council unanimously approved a report and recommendations from the Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group on North American numbering plan billing and collection fund size projections and contributions factor. Billing and collection agent Welch & Co. projected the revenue base is $92.7 billion and the contribution factor is 0.0000535. NANC also approved a WG’s report that Welch met its performance requirements. This all took place at NANC's virtual meeting on Wednesday.
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted a Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition petition for a waiver of some E-rate rules, said an order in Tuesday's Daily Digest. SHLB asked that the June 30 special construction service delivery deadline for all FY 2019-20 applicants be extended to June 30, 2022. Applicants may seek a waiver regardless of whether they previously got an extension from Universal Service Administrative Co. or from the commission, the order said. This doesn't extend the deadline for applicants from earlier funding years, but they can seek waiver if there's a need.
No major changes were made to the FCC order providing guidelines and requirements for Connected Care pilot program participants, we found in our comparison with the draft. Commissioners approved the order during their June 17 meeting (see 2106170063). The final order was in Tuesday's Daily Digest.
OK Smith Bagley’s request for a six-month extension on Lifeline verification waivers for providers serving the Navajo Nation, asked Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Navajo Nation Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Chairman Arvin Trujillo in a letter to FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel posted Monday in docket 11-42. Navajos are five times as likely as “the average American” to contract and die from COVID-19 and the Navajo Nation has instituted curfews, occupancy limits and other “drastic steps” to slow the disease’s spread, they wrote. The FCC Lifeline usage requirement is a concern, because many Navajos lack consistent access to electricity, they said.
No major changes were made to the FCC order establishing an online portal for private entities to report suspected illegal robocalls or spoofing attempts, we found in our comparison with the draft (see 2105270085). The portal, which commissioners approved Thursday, is expected to go live after an OMB document review (see 2106170063).
The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau wants comment by July 19, replies by Aug. 3, on Convo Communications' petition for rulemaking and interim waiver regarding certain video relay service rules, said a public notice Thursday in docket 03-123. Convo asked the FCC to raise the cap on VRS minutes handled by communications assistants working from home from 50% to 80% of a provider's monthly minutes. The company wants to partially lift the prohibition on VRS providers contracting for communication assistants' services to allow them to be contracted for up to 30% of a provider's monthly VRS minutes. Both rules are waived until Aug. 31.
The FCC Wireline Bureau directed the North American Numbering Council call authentication trust anchor working group to submit reports and suggest best practices on combating illegal robocalls, said a charge letter Tuesday. The first report, due Oct. 15, should include deployment of secure telephone identity revisited and signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens by small voice service providers "during the pendency of their extension from the Stir/Shaken implementation deadline," the letter said. The bureau asked NANC to identify barriers preventing small providers from implementing the Stir/Shaken framework and available technological solutions. The second report, due Feb. 15, should include best practices on how terminating voice service providers can protect subscribers using caller ID authentication information. By June 15, 2022, a document should include steps to encourage adoption of techniques by policymakers and providers in other countries to combat robocalls.
Telecom providers back USTelecom's robocall blocking petition for reconsideration (see 2105200074), in replies posted Tuesday in FCC docket 17-59. "Adopt a flexible approach to notification that would allow for, but not be limited to, returning specific [session initiation protocol] SIP codes when calls are blocked," CTIA said. "Rather than codifying unfinished standards work, the commission should defer to the ongoing, collaborative standards process." NCTA agreed and said the Jan. 1 implementation deadline "risks forcing providers to choose between offering consumers robust robocall mitigation tools or suspending such tools over concerns about compliance with return code mandates." Comments showed the "uncertain state of the standards" in the notification requirement, USTelecom said. An industry task force approval of industry standards is "at best, the beginning of the process," the telecom association said. Somos, the current toll-free numbering administrator and North American numbering plan administrator, echoed Lumen that there's "no value to notifying calling parties when their calls are blocked by analytic engines" (see 2106070051). Somos said calls blocked on the do not originate list shouldn't be included in notification to calling parties when such a call is blocked. Verizon said opposition to USTelecom's petition is based on "several flaws." The order on robocall blocking doesn't define what a legitimate caller or bad actor is, Verizon said, and "even some legal callers routinely take action to bypass blocking ... when they detect that their calls may have triggered blocking algorithms."