Inmate calling service providers could be required to provide telecom relay services for deaf, hard of hearing and blind incarcerated people, ICS rates will be cut for interstate and international calls, and providers will have one less year to comply with caller ID authentication requirements if all draft items are approved during the FCC's May 20 meeting (see 2104280084).
Country of origin cases
Inmate calling services rates would be cut, video relay service compensation rates extended through the end of 2021, extensions for providers to implement caller ID authentication requirements could be shortened, and smaller providers would receive regulatory relief if all items on the tentative agenda for the FCC's May 20 meeting are approved (see 2104280073). Drafts are expected to be released Thursday, said a spokesperson.
FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel plans a May 20 vote on cutting some inmate calling service rates. She also plans for commissioners to vote then on a proposal on mandating actions to help prevent some robocalls, which smaller providers would need to take sooner than anticipated.
Dish Network asked to reopen California's review of T-Mobile/Sprint to enforce merger commitments. T-Mobile's announcing it will shut down its CDMA network Jan. 1 “is inconsistent with prior statements the company made to the” California Public Utilities Commission “that the network will be operational for at least three years to facilitate a seamless transition for customers utilizing the legacy Sprint CDMA network,” Dish said in a Monday petition in docket A.18-07-011. The shutoff would put “Boost Mobile customers, many of whom are low-income, at risk of losing service entirely,” Dish said: Require T-Mobile to adhere to its original three-year plan. T-Mobile defended its plans earlier this month at the FCC in response to a similar Dish complaint (see 2104120035). The carrier didn’t comment Tuesday.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau wants letters of intent by May 27 from entities interested in coordinating industry-led efforts to trace the origin of suspected unlawful robocalls, a public notice said Monday in docket 20-22. USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group was put in charge of the consortium last year (see 2007270068). EB will pick the next consortium by Aug. 25.
The Illinois House voted 91-17 to extend the state small-cells law expiring June 1. The chamber adopted an amendment Friday to HB-2379 so the law instead would expire Dec. 31, 2023. It was Dec. 31, 2026, in the original bill. The measure now goes to the Senate.
Roku is rebranding as "Roku Originals" the content it acquired with the Quibi buy in January (see 2101080028), said the company Wednesday. That will also be the brand name for future original programming on The Roku Channel, its ad-supported offering.
House Communications Subcommittee members of both parties largely agreed during a Wednesday hearing that to secure U.S. leadership on 5G technology, Congress must fully fund work on speeding adoption of open radio access networks, and that agencies should return to a unified spectrum policy approach during President Joe Biden’s administration. Tech policy bipartisanship was also evident as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and others of both parties introduced, as promised, a revised version of the Endless Frontier Act. It appears to be back on track (see 2104140069) for swift action after earlier GOP misgivings.
Commenters in docket 15-94 on FCC-proposed changes to wireless emergency alerts, state emergency communications committees (SECCs) and false alert reporting rules largely supported the plans. Some raised concerns about alert fatigue, confidentiality and how future “presidential” alerts should be designated to avoid public backlash. Proposed rule changes in a unanimously approved March NPRM (see 2103170070) stem from the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which gives the FCC until June 30 to implement new rules.
Videoconferences may be “less exhausting” if participants have a sense of group belonging, reported the American Psychological Association Monday on the personal toll that virtual meetings are taking during COVID-19. Researchers originally surmised that longer meetings and appearing on video would lead factors contributing to “Zoom fatigue,” but a study of 55 employees said a connection with the group minimized fatigue. Participants received nine hourly surveys daily for five consecutive working days last year, completing more than 1,700 surveys based on five to six weekly videoconferences. Researchers’ recommendations included holding meetings in the early afternoon; allowing time for small talk before or after, along with breakout rooms where participants can talk about shared interests; establishing basic rules such as whether to keep webcams on; and taking screen breaks.