The FCC offered guidance on the Form 477 and broadband reporting duties of carriers receiving high-cost USF support. The commission in 2016 directed Universal Service Administrative Co. to develop an online system for receiving high-cost carriers' broadband location information and certifications, now called High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB). A Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 10-90 Thursday provided additional guidance and clarifications to carriers on reporting certain details: the "effect of corrected Form 477 data on Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support carrier deployment obligations," the "process to demonstrate there are fewer than the required number of locations or that a carrier is fully deployed" and "ongoing HUBB reporting obligations." Major telcos expressed concerns about the process for updating HUBB information, said a USTelecom filing posted Wednesday on a meeting representatives of the group, AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier Communications, Verizon, Windstream had with FCC and USAC staffers: "We discussed the need to permit providers to make automated updates, including dropping locations, to previously submitted information. The current suggested process of emailing USAC personnel with a detailed explanation for every dropped location who, in turn, will forward that email to FCC staff for their review and approval, is not workable at scale." The officials also discussed approaches to rationalize legacy obligations and USF support with a CAF II broadband auction looming. CenturyLink wasn't able to make certain data changes due to "HUBB portal restrictions," said the telco's filing posted Thursday in docket 14-58. USTelecom and CenturyLink didn't comment Thursday on the PN.

The FCC released a map showing areas across the U.S. presumed eligible to receive support for deployment of 4G LTE service as part of the Mobility Fund Phase II auction. The FCC plans to make up to $4.53 billion of support available over 10 years. Last week, commissioners approved an order addressing various petitions for reconsideration of MF-II rules (see 1802220045). “MF-II is critically important to supporting mobile voice and broadband coverage, incentivizing the deployment of mobile wireless service through a reverse auction, and ensuring that 4G LTE service is preserved and advanced in those areas of the country that lack unsubsidized service,” the FCC said Tuesday. The regulator also released the order approved last week. Steve Berry, president of the Competitive Carriers Association, said the map as released raises major concerns for his group. “It is now clear that the parameters the FCC directed carriers to use in its one-time data collection have failed to produce a credible map of eligible areas, and it is most disappointing that absent significant changes, the Commission will fall short of Congress’s mandate for Universal Service,” Berry said in a statement.

FCC staff gave some E-rate USF participants more time to file invoices beyond a previous extension ending Tuesday, due to Universal Service Administrative Co. processing delays. A "limited waiver" provides relief "to applicants and service providers that: (a) timely requested and received the one-time 120-day extension to invoice for funding year 2016 recurring charges from [USAC]; and (b) are currently awaiting, or recently received, a revised funding commitment decision letter (RFCDL) issued for a post-commitment change request submitted to USAC," said the Wireline Bureau order in docket 02-6 listed in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Affected E-rate participants now have "120 days from the date of their post-commitment RFCDL" to file invoices, said the bureau, citing "extraordinary circumstances created by technological system issues that delayed USAC’s issuance of post-commitment RFCDLs" for FY 2016. The parties "may not receive their RFCDLs in time to submit accurate invoices" by Tuesday, it said.

The FCC released a map showing areas across the U.S. presumed eligible to receive support for deployment of 4G LTE service as part of the Mobility Fund Phase II auction. The FCC plans to make up to $4.53 billion of support available over 10 years. Last week, commissioners approved an order addressing various petitions for reconsideration of MF-II rules (see 1802220045). “MF-II is critically important to supporting mobile voice and broadband coverage, incentivizing the deployment of mobile wireless service through a reverse auction, and ensuring that 4G LTE service is preserved and advanced in those areas of the country that lack unsubsidized service,” the FCC said Tuesday. The regulator also released the order approved last week. Steve Berry, president of the Competitive Carriers Association, said the map as released raises major concerns for his group. “It is now clear that the parameters the FCC directed carriers to use in its one-time data collection have failed to produce a credible map of eligible areas, and it is most disappointing that absent significant changes, the Commission will fall short of Congress’s mandate for Universal Service,” Berry said in a statement.

FCC staff gave some E-rate USF participants more time to file invoices beyond a previous extension ending Tuesday, due to Universal Service Administrative Co. processing delays. A "limited waiver" provides relief "to applicants and service providers that: (a) timely requested and received the one-time 120-day extension to invoice for funding year 2016 recurring charges from [USAC]; and (b) are currently awaiting, or recently received, a revised funding commitment decision letter (RFCDL) issued for a post-commitment change request submitted to USAC," said the Wireline Bureau order in docket 02-6 listed in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Affected E-rate participants now have "120 days from the date of their post-commitment RFCDL" to file invoices, said the bureau, citing "extraordinary circumstances created by technological system issues that delayed USAC’s issuance of post-commitment RFCDLs" for FY 2016. The parties "may not receive their RFCDLs in time to submit accurate invoices" by Tuesday, it said.

The FCC approved a notice proposing rules implementing Section 7 of the Communications Act, designed to speed review of “innovative” technologies and services, over objections by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn Thursday. Chairman Ajit Pai said the goal is simple -- get out of the way of innovation. “Bureaucratic inertia” is a common barrier, he said. The agency has been taking steps on his watch to promote innovation, from approving the first LTE-unlicensed devices to approving ATSC 3.0 standards to greenlighting a power-at-a-distance wireless transmitter, Pai said: “We have stood on the side of innovation, but these are ad hoc measures.”

The FCC approved a notice proposing rules implementing Section 7 of the Communications Act, designed to speed review of “innovative” technologies and services, over objections by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn Thursday. Chairman Ajit Pai said the goal is simple -- get out of the way of innovation. “Bureaucratic inertia” is a common barrier, he said. The agency has been taking steps on his watch to promote innovation, from approving the first LTE-unlicensed devices to approving ATSC 3.0 standards to greenlighting a power-at-a-distance wireless transmitter, Pai said: “We have stood on the side of innovation, but these are ad hoc measures.”

The FCC E-rate USF annual budget cap will be $4.06 billion for funding year 2018 starting July 1, a 1.8 percent inflation-based increase over the $3.99 billion FY 2017 cap, said a Wireline Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 02-6. It said the school and library discount program has been indexed for inflation since 2010. A bureau PN in docket 11-42 provided guidance on three new "universal forms" to be used for verifying and recertifying consumer eligibility for the Lifeline low-income subsidy program. The forms are intended to be used in all states and territories regardless of whether a national verifier, which is being rolled out in phases, is operational in a particular state or territory, the PN said, but if state law requires carriers to use pre-existing forms, they may use those instead of the new FCC universal forms. TracFone Wireless criticized Universal Service Administrative Co.'s updated Lifeline national verifier plan (see 1802010033) as including "processes that are unnecessarily inefficient and burdensome and that contradict" FCC goals. The plan "fails to require the use of an Automated Programming Interface to facilitate the efficient delivery of Lifeline applicant eligibility information from Lifeline service providers to the National Verifier," TracFone said. "Certain aspects of the application process ... will limit the channels through which consumers can apply for Lifeline service."

The FCC E-rate USF annual budget cap will be $4.06 billion for funding year 2018 starting July 1, a 1.8 percent inflation-based increase over the $3.99 billion FY 2017 cap, said a Wireline Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 02-6. It said the school and library discount program has been indexed for inflation since 2010. A bureau PN in docket 11-42 provided guidance on three new "universal forms" to be used for verifying and recertifying consumer eligibility for the Lifeline low-income subsidy program. The forms are intended to be used in all states and territories regardless of whether a national verifier, which is being rolled out in phases, is operational in a particular state or territory, the PN said, but if state law requires carriers to use pre-existing forms, they may use those instead of the new FCC universal forms. TracFone Wireless criticized Universal Service Administrative Co.'s updated Lifeline national verifier plan (see 1802010033) as including "processes that are unnecessarily inefficient and burdensome and that contradict" FCC goals. The plan "fails to require the use of an Automated Programming Interface to facilitate the efficient delivery of Lifeline applicant eligibility information from Lifeline service providers to the National Verifier," TracFone said. "Certain aspects of the application process ... will limit the channels through which consumers can apply for Lifeline service."

The FCC revised rules for rural telco consumer broadband-only loop (CBOL) services adopted in a 2016 rate-of-return USF overhaul order. The commission replaced a "surrogate cost method for determining the cost of CBOLs with rules employing existing separations and cost allocation procedures," said a reconsideration order in docket 10-90 in Tuesday's Daily Digest responding to an NTCA petition. It modified a "rule requiring rate-of-return carriers to impute on CBOLs an amount equal to the Access Recovery Charge (ARC) that could have been assessed on a voice or voice/broadband line to better implement our intent to maintain the balance between end user charges and universal service adopted" in a 2011 USF and intercarrier-compensation transformation order. The commission clarified "two matters pertaining to reductions in Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS) due to competitive overlap": affecting reduction amounts associated with a "second disaggregation method" and declaring a transition "schedule applies where the CAF BLS subject to competitive overlap is 25 percent or more of total CAF BLS." The various adjustments provide "more certainty and stability for carriers investing for the future, thereby ensuring that all consumers have access to advanced telecommunications and information services," the order said. Senior Vice President Mike Romano said Tuesday NTCA is pleased the FCC acted on the ARC and surrogate-cost issues raised in its petition. "The order represents a few more important steps in addressing the ‘punchlist’ of items flagged in our petition, and we are eager to keep working with the FCC to address the outstanding items on that list to put the high cost mechanisms in a better position to truly deliver on the mission of universal service."