Rural telcos pressed FCC officials for increased USF support and other changes to the subsidy program. Citing almost $1.5 billion in annual "unmet needs" under an "arbitrary' $2 billion rural carrier cap, the Small Company Coalition asked the FCC to tap over $8 billion in reserves to reduce contributions to the system and address the "shortfall" in funding support for small, rate-of-return carriers, in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90 on meetings with Commissioner Brendan Carr and aides to Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn. The SCC said Universal Service Administrative Co. audits cost about $250 million but led to only $8 million in recovery of questionable funds in 2016. It urged more focus "on demonstrably problematic programs and bad actors" and use of a "materiality" threshold. The group asked for "eliminating overlapping or outdated reporting requirements" and "raising awareness regarding the impact of shrinking" high-cost loop support.

Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith was grilled by lawmakers the past two days and faces the House Financial Services Committee Thursday over theft of personal information of 145.5 million consumers. House and Senate lawmakers at three different committees (see 1710030034 and 1710020021) interrogated Smith, including at a Senate Judiciary Privacy Subcommittee hearing where ranking member Al Franken, D-Minn., said Smith and Equifax had "little regard" for consumers.

Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith was grilled by lawmakers the past two days and faces the House Financial Services Committee Thursday over theft of personal information of 145.5 million consumers. House and Senate lawmakers at three different committees (see 1710030034 and 1710020021) interrogated Smith, including at a Senate Judiciary Privacy Subcommittee hearing where ranking member Al Franken, D-Minn., said Smith and Equifax had "little regard" for consumers.

Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith was grilled by lawmakers the past two days and faces the House Financial Services Committee Thursday over theft of personal information of 145.5 million consumers. House and Senate lawmakers at three different committees (see 1710030034 and 1710020021) interrogated Smith, including at a Senate Judiciary Privacy Subcommittee hearing where ranking member Al Franken, D-Minn., said Smith and Equifax had "little regard" for consumers.

Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel slammed the 2017 version of the FCC’s mobile wireless competition report, approved 3-2 Tuesday in a party-line vote. Both questioned whether wireless in parts of the U.S. is genuinely competitive. During the Obama administration, the FCC repeatedly declined to determine there's effective competition in the U.S. wireless market. The new report says there is. The disagreement was expected and has been a topic of contention between Republicans and Democrats (see 1709220049).

Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel slammed the 2017 version of the FCC’s mobile wireless competition report, approved 3-2 Tuesday in a party-line vote. Both questioned whether wireless in parts of the U.S. is genuinely competitive. During the Obama administration, the FCC repeatedly declined to determine there's effective competition in the U.S. wireless market. The new report says there is. The disagreement was expected and has been a topic of contention between Republicans and Democrats (see 1709220049).

Venture capital aversion to space startups is increasingly going by the wayside, speakers said at a Friday Women in Aerospace forum. "Space and venture capital would never be in the same room five years ago," but now most of the money behind the array of new launch startups is coming from VC, Quilty Analytics President Chris Quilty said. Euroconsult U.S.A. Managing Director Sima Fishman said in the commercial launch universe, it's generally thought there will be more private investors, but also fewer but larger commercial satellite operators due to mergers and acquisitions.

A group of Tennessee school districts asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for help securing a waiver to join the Tennessee E-rate Consortium for purposes of an appeal seeking subsidy support for internet services. The Universal Service Administrative Co. executives initially told the 43 school districts they could join another existing, funded consortium, but later said they couldn't and funding was denied, said a representative of the group in a letter posted Thursday in docket 02-6. "No rules were broken" and "the districts relied, to their detriment, upon" the initial USAC advice, he wrote, saying the reversal meant "yet another consortium had to be formed." The representative asked Pai to help resolve the matter five years after the appeal was filed, and noted the chair was approached about the issue in May when meeting in Columbia, Tennessee, with House Communications Subcommittee Chair Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

A group of Tennessee school districts asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for help securing a waiver to join the Tennessee E-rate Consortium for purposes of an appeal seeking subsidy support for internet services. The Universal Service Administrative Co. executives initially told the 43 school districts they could join another existing, funded consortium, but later said they couldn't and funding was denied, said a representative of the group in a letter posted Thursday in docket 02-6. "No rules were broken" and "the districts relied, to their detriment, upon" the initial USAC advice, he wrote, saying the reversal meant "yet another consortium had to be formed." The representative asked Pai to help resolve the matter five years after the appeal was filed, and noted the chair was approached about the issue in May when meeting in Columbia, Tennessee, with House Communications Subcommittee Chair Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Administration and oversight of the Lifeline USF program drew criticism during Thursday's Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, as expected (see 1709130053), and committee leaders sought major improvements. Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., indicated they will hold off on a legislative response until the national verifier program and other fixes instituted in the FCC 2016 Lifeline overhaul order fully roll out. McCaskill had said she would consider a possible bill, depending on results of the hearing, including a restructuring and budget cap (see 1709060063).