The FCC Wireline Bureau OK’d program integrity assurance FCC Form 471 review procedures for the Schools and Libraries Fund in funding-year 2017, the bureau said in a Friday letter to Universal Service Administrative Co. (docket 02-6). USAC’s Program Integrity Assurance team reviews forms for compliance with FCC rules.

The FCC Wireline Bureau OK’d program integrity assurance FCC Form 471 review procedures for the Schools and Libraries Fund in funding-year 2017, the bureau said in a Friday letter to Universal Service Administrative Co. (docket 02-6). USAC’s Program Integrity Assurance team reviews forms for compliance with FCC rules.

Opponents of the pending net neutrality NPRM say the FCC could face a tough time in court making the case that the agency needs to move again, two years after imposing rules reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service. Meanwhile, the FCC continues to be inundated with net neutrality comments, posting more than 780,000 on its filing system Friday and Monday. But the Electronic Comment Filing System was functioning throughout the day Monday, after experiencing widespread problems last week (see 1705120052).

Opponents of the pending net neutrality NPRM say the FCC could face a tough time in court making the case that the agency needs to move again, two years after imposing rules reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service. Meanwhile, the FCC continues to be inundated with net neutrality comments, posting more than 780,000 on its filing system Friday and Monday. But the Electronic Comment Filing System was functioning throughout the day Monday, after experiencing widespread problems last week (see 1705120052).

One legislative goal Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., wants to address before the August recess is Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, he said in an interview Thursday. “It’ll get into the drone stuff,” he said. “There are some areas where you’ll have some telecommunications issues that intersect with that agenda, too.” Those topics have spurred interest from other lawmakers, with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., taking a stab at drone privacy legislation earlier this year (see 1703200029). The horizon for the Senate, full with debates over healthcare overhaul and the firing of FBI Director James Comey, doesn't appear loaded with telecom legislative action, at least immediately.

One legislative goal Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., wants to address before the August recess is Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, he said in an interview Thursday. “It’ll get into the drone stuff,” he said. “There are some areas where you’ll have some telecommunications issues that intersect with that agenda, too.” Those topics have spurred interest from other lawmakers, with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., taking a stab at drone privacy legislation earlier this year (see 1703200029). The horizon for the Senate, full with debates over healthcare overhaul and the firing of FBI Director James Comey, doesn't appear loaded with telecom legislative action, at least immediately.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai defended his recent record on tribal broadband matters to Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., who led a letter on the topic earlier this year. The commission incorporated the higher tribal land costs into the reserve prices of the Connect America Fund Phase II bidding process, Pai said in his April 28 reply, released Monday. “I am proud to have proposed to my colleagues, and for the FCC to have adopted, the Tribal Mobility Fund Phase II at the Commission's February 23 meeting,” Pai said, noting he requested the Office of Native Affairs and Policy coordinate with the Wireless and Wireline bureaus “to help direct that funding to reach Tribal members in remote areas that would otherwise be without access to next-generation services.” He cited a proposal he circulated in February: “The order recognizes that carriers serving Tribal lands incur costs that other rural carriers do not face, resulting in significantly higher operating expenses to serve very sparsely populated service areas." It "would allow carriers serving Tribal lands a greater ability to recover operating expenses, thus improving the financial viability of operating a broadband network serving Tribal lands,” he said. Pai directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. "to give additional time to Tribal families living in the remote reaches of the Navajo Nation to comply with a certification deadline for the Lifeline program."

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai defended his recent record on tribal broadband matters to Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., who led a letter on the topic earlier this year. The commission incorporated the higher tribal land costs into the reserve prices of the Connect America Fund Phase II bidding process, Pai said in his April 28 reply, released Monday. “I am proud to have proposed to my colleagues, and for the FCC to have adopted, the Tribal Mobility Fund Phase II at the Commission's February 23 meeting,” Pai said, noting he requested the Office of Native Affairs and Policy coordinate with the Wireless and Wireline bureaus “to help direct that funding to reach Tribal members in remote areas that would otherwise be without access to next-generation services.” He cited a proposal he circulated in February: “The order recognizes that carriers serving Tribal lands incur costs that other rural carriers do not face, resulting in significantly higher operating expenses to serve very sparsely populated service areas." It "would allow carriers serving Tribal lands a greater ability to recover operating expenses, thus improving the financial viability of operating a broadband network serving Tribal lands,” he said. Pai directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. "to give additional time to Tribal families living in the remote reaches of the Navajo Nation to comply with a certification deadline for the Lifeline program."

Sinclair and Tribune overlap in 14 markets, but Sinclair is confident its planned $6.6 billion deal -- $3.9 billion purchase plus assumption of $2.7 billion in debt -- won't require any station sales since the overlaps have no impact on competition, Sinclair CEO Christopher Ripley said. Station swaps, on the other hand, "are high on the list of priorities," he said in an analyst call after Sinclair/Tribune was announced Monday. "Swaps are definitely on the table."

The USF contribution factor could spike in Q3 from 17.4 percent to 19.6 percent or more of carriers' U.S. interstate and international (long-distance) telecom end-user revenue, said industry consultant Billy Jack Gregg in his quarterly email update. He cited Universal Service Administrative Co. projections of increased USF demand, particularly for E-rate school and library discounts, as the driver, and said the contribution (or assessment) factor could go even higher if projected industry revenue declines, as it has been trending. A 19.6 percent factor would be "the highest assessment factor ever." The previous high was 18.2 percent in Q1 of 2016, he said Wednesday. Some reacted to us with concern.