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).

Rural broadband is “a huge issue all over the country,” said FCC Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force Chief of Staff Thom Parisi Tuesday on a digital-divide panel at the NATOA conference in Seattle. The group oversees the Connect America Fund Phase II and Mobility Fund Phase II reverse auctions, which seek efficient ways to get broadband to rural areas and together will award about $6.5 billion. The next step is a public notice laying out exact procedures for the CAF II auction, he said. The FCC is open to a variety of providers and technology types, he said. Chris Mitchell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance director-community broadband networks, said the CAF II auction “is possibly the only good part of the Connect America Fund.” During the Obama administration, the FCC “horrifically misspent billions upon billions of dollars” through the CAF, he said. “We really need to focus on approaches that connect everyone,” and avoid conclusions that people in rural areas will be satisfied with slower speeds, he said. In the U.S., “there’s no protection for where you live,” said Cheryl DeBerry, natural resources business specialist with Garrett County, Maryland: Rural areas “were left behind with rural electrification, they were left behind with telephone service and now they’re being left behind with broadband.” In 2011, the county got money from the Appalachian Regional Commission to explore community broadband options in areas where industry saw no business case, she said. Today, the county owns the infrastructure and uses TV white spaces to provide wireless service to 180 customers.

A Thursday Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on “weaknesses" in the Lifeline USF program's management identified in a May GAO report is likely to be less balanced in the program's favor than a previous committee hearing, communications sector lobbyists from across the political spectrum said in interviews. The Senate Commerce hearing last week included a strong defense of the program from Free Press Deputy Director Jessica González and calls from Democrats for Congress to be patient before the national verifier program instituted in the FCC's 2016 Lifeline overhaul order fully rolls out in 2019 (see 1709060063).

A Thursday Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on “weaknesses" in the Lifeline USF program's management identified in a May GAO report is likely to be less balanced in the program's favor than a previous committee hearing, communications sector lobbyists from across the political spectrum said in interviews. The Senate Commerce hearing last week included a strong defense of the program from Free Press Deputy Director Jessica González and calls from Democrats for Congress to be patient before the national verifier program instituted in the FCC's 2016 Lifeline overhaul order fully rolls out in 2019 (see 1709060063).

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other committee members told us Wednesday they Are receptive to calls to delay discussions about a replacement or major overhaul of the Lifeline USF program until the national verifier program instituted in the FCC's 2016 Lifeline overhaul order fully rolls out in 2019. Most witnesses at Commerce's Wednesday Lifeline hearing said Congress should give the FCC a chance to fully implement the 2016 order's provisions. Thune and other committee Republicans also signaled interest in working with Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on a Lifeline bill if offered.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and other committee members told us Wednesday they Are receptive to calls to delay discussions about a replacement or major overhaul of the Lifeline USF program until the national verifier program instituted in the FCC's 2016 Lifeline overhaul order fully rolls out in 2019. Most witnesses at Commerce's Wednesday Lifeline hearing said Congress should give the FCC a chance to fully implement the 2016 order's provisions. Thune and other committee Republicans also signaled interest in working with Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on a Lifeline bill if offered.

Supporters and critics of the Lifeline USF program will closely follow a Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee hearing on issues identified in a critical May GAO report on the program for signs of whether the Senate has a sufficient appetite to pursue legislation to revamp parts of the program, lawyers and lobbyists said in interviews. The hearing and a Sept. 14 Senate Homeland Security Committee one will examine the GAO report, which said the Lifeline program’s management remains deficient despite FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. efforts to improve controls over finances and enrollment by low-income consumers (see 1706290037).

Supporters and critics of the Lifeline USF program will closely follow a Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee hearing on issues identified in a critical May GAO report on the program for signs of whether the Senate has a sufficient appetite to pursue legislation to revamp parts of the program, lawyers and lobbyists said in interviews. The hearing and a Sept. 14 Senate Homeland Security Committee one will examine the GAO report, which said the Lifeline program’s management remains deficient despite FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. efforts to improve controls over finances and enrollment by low-income consumers (see 1706290037).

FCC rules streamlining reporting duties of high-cost USF recipients take effect Sept. 22, said an order summary in the Federal Register Wednesday. The July 7 order eliminated some annual reporting requirements eligible telecom carriers face for network outages, unfulfilled service requests, complaints, pricing information, service quality certification and duplicative Form 481 filings (contingent on Universal Service Administrative Co. implementation of an online portal). Another summary in the FR sought comments by Oct. 23 under the Paperwork Reduction Act on a proposed FCC information collection in annual and quarterly reporting worksheets (Form 499-A, Form 499-Q) for telecom contributors to the universal service fund and telecom relay service fund. The information is also used to calculate FCC regulatory fees for interstate telecom service providers, it said.

ASPEN, Colorado -- More data on what works and what doesn't and on costs, stepping up consumer education, coordination among many stakeholders, and ISPs increasingly working with community groups were among suggestions from experts of different political and corporate stripes on ways to further narrow the digital divide. Responding to our questions at a Technology Policy Institute panel Tuesday, the group generally agreed there are no simple solutions, and more data plus maps of current efforts are needed. Getting the roughly one quarter of Americans without residential broadband online at home -- many in rural areas and many poor, elderly or not English-speaking -- isn't as simple as providing cheap or government-subsidized service with high speeds, they said.