Callers from 82 area codes in 35 states and Guam must begin dialing 10 digits beginning April 24 for all local non-mobile calls in the transition to the 988 national suicide prevention hotline (see 2012230007), said an FCC Wireline Bureau fact sheet Tuesday. All local calls must be placed with 10 digits beginning Oct. 24.
The California Public Utilities Commission proposed a revision to a condition adopted in its March 18 OK of Frontier’s bankruptcy reorganization. The item will appear on the agency’s April 15 agenda, said CPUC Administrative Law Judge Anne Simon in a Friday proposed decision in docket A.20-05-010. The March 18 condition required the provider to build fiber-to-the-premise to 150,000 locations in places with a maximum internal rate of return of 20% and where the telco is the only service provider, with at least 10% in rural areas. Friday’s proposal would instead require at least 10% of those locations be in places where Frontier is the only fixed broadband provider. It would additionally require that at least 10% of Frontier funds allocated to that fiber buildout go to locations outside urbanized areas. The company suggested such changes last week (see 2103250059). "Frontier is reviewing the Proposed Decision and expects to emerge successfully from Chapter 11 shortly after [a] final approval order is received from the California PUC," a spokesperson said Monday.
The FCC wants comment by April 29 on a matching agreement between Universal Service Administrative Co. and the Utah Department of Workforce Services, says Tuesday's Federal Register. It lets officials verify eligibility of emergency broadband benefit program applicants beginning April 29 by determining whether applicants receive Medicaid or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Comments to Privacy@fcc.gov.
National Lifeline Association members faced "push back" from those reviewing applications for the FCC's $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program, attorneys for NaLA told the Wireline Bureau, per a posting Friday in docket 20-445 (see 2102260058). Members are being told they "cannot seek an alternative verification process because they do not have a preexisting low-income program and can use the National Verifier instead," attorneys said. Members say having a preexisting program wasn't required to receive approval for an alternative verification process, and NaLA's attorneys asked the commission to provide clarification to application reviewers. An attorney for NaLA couldn't be reached for further comment.
The FCC Wireline Bureau gave Tata Communications limited waiver of rules for revenue reporting years 2020 and 2021, in an order said Thursday. This waives the 12% limited international revenue exemption (LIRE)-qualifying threshold so Tata may "continue to contribute to the Universal Service Fund based solely on its interstate end-user telecommunications revenues." Waiver is limited to "direct USF contribution obligations only" and expires at year-end or the effective date of any new rules revising LIRE on an industrywide basis. Tata won't be exempt from paying indirect USF contributions if its interstate revenue declines to a level that would qualify the company for de minimis status.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit scheduled oral arguments for two cases on access stimulation rules and access change benchmark rates. Great Lakes consolidated case 19-1233 (in Pacer) will be heard May 4 (see 2012300039). Aureon, No. 18-1258 (in Pacer), will be heard May 14 (see 2102030064). Both start at 9:30 a.m.
FCC staff approved Otelco's transfer of control request to Future Fiber FinCo., a public notice said Wednesday in docket 20-275. The OK is subject to conditions adopted in the Hargray/ComSouth order because Otelco's subsidiaries receive USF and fixed Connect America Fund Phase II support (see [Re:1805110048]). "The combined operating expenses of each post-consummation company’s rate-of-return affiliates shall be capped at the averaged combined operating expenses of the three calendar years preceding the transactions’ closing date for which the operating expense data are available," the PN said. The cap lasts seven years, less if the rate-of-return affiliates become model-based support companies.
The FCC Wireline Bureau extended Inteliquent's waiver of access stimulation rules for the fourth time, until Sept. 1, citing COVID-19, said an order Tuesday (see 2012160063).
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau wants comments by April 2, replies by April 9, on the General Services Administration's petition for waiver of the telecom relay services user registration requirement for IP relay service and IP captioned telephone service, a public notice said Tuesday on docket 03-123.
Consumer advocates want the FCC to adopt "just and reasonable international rate caps" for inmate calling services, said a filing posted Monday in docket 12-375. Representatives from the United Church of Christ, Worth Rises, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Public Knowledge, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, Wright Petitioners and Free Press asked staff to adopt "more uniform data collection" and said "site commissions do not belong in the rate."