Consumers should play a role in filtering out fake news across social media platforms and other websites, said a wide range of experts on news literacy. They said such literacy is an essential component and perhaps the best way of fighting fake news.

Qualifying USF rural healthcare demand of $275 million exceeded available funding of $254 million for the filing window of Sept. 1-Nov. 30, said a Universal Service Administrative Co. release Monday. Recipients will thus receive a pro-rata percentage of 92.5 percent of their qualifying requests. The FCC capped the rural healthcare annual budget at $400 million, and qualified recipients got $133 million in a previous window for funding year 2016 (there is also about $13 million in administrative expenses). The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition "appreciates the difficult position" USAC faced because "for the first time, demand for RHC program funding" exceeded the cap, said John Windhausen, SHLB executive director, in a statement. "Unfortunately, this will mean that many rural health centers will be forced to pay more to maintain their existing telemedicine connections, and some of these clinics may be forced off the network altogether, which jeopardizes the quality of health care delivered to rural America. This funding crisis points to the need for comprehensive reform of the RHC program, which the SHLB Coalition requested in its Petition for Rulemaking filed in December 2015," he said, citing RHC as the only USF program that "has not been fully reformed."

Qualifying USF rural healthcare demand of $275 million exceeded available funding of $254 million for the filing window of Sept. 1-Nov. 30, said a Universal Service Administrative Co. release Monday. Recipients will thus receive a pro-rata percentage of 92.5 percent of their qualifying requests. The FCC capped the rural healthcare annual budget at $400 million, and qualified recipients got $133 million in a previous window for funding year 2016 (there is also about $13 million in administrative expenses). The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition "appreciates the difficult position" USAC faced because "for the first time, demand for RHC program funding" exceeded the cap, said John Windhausen, SHLB executive director, in a statement. "Unfortunately, this will mean that many rural health centers will be forced to pay more to maintain their existing telemedicine connections, and some of these clinics may be forced off the network altogether, which jeopardizes the quality of health care delivered to rural America. This funding crisis points to the need for comprehensive reform of the RHC program, which the SHLB Coalition requested in its Petition for Rulemaking filed in December 2015," he said, citing RHC as the only USF program that "has not been fully reformed."

The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notices:

The FCC set a pleading cycle on a FairPoint Communications waiver request to submit the locations and census blocks in Virginia where the telco deployed broadband that satisfied the requirements for Connect America Fund Phase I, Round 2 subsidy support. Comments are due May 4, replies May 19 on FairPoint's petition to waive Section 54.312(c) of commission rules for the broadband deployment where it "was not authorized," said a Wireline Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 10-90. "FairPoint proposes that the Bureau conduct a challenge process to confirm whether any of the locations in certain previously unidentified census blocks were 'served' at the time FairPoint accepted Connect America Fund Phase I Round 2 support." Without the waiver, Universal Service Administrative Co. might disqualify all 1,027 locations to which a FairPoint subsidiary, Peoples Mutual Telephone, deployed broadband in the previously unidentified 185 census blocks, and require a refund of the associated CAF support, said the petition: "Such a result would leave FairPoint with a substantial deficit of approximately $575,000 -- an amount that otherwise would be dedicated to continued expansion of its advanced service capabilities."

The FCC set a pleading cycle on a FairPoint Communications waiver request to submit the locations and census blocks in Virginia where the telco deployed broadband that satisfied the requirements for Connect America Fund Phase I, Round 2 subsidy support. Comments are due May 4, replies May 19 on FairPoint's petition to waive Section 54.312(c) of commission rules for the broadband deployment where it "was not authorized," said a Wireline Bureau public notice Tuesday in docket 10-90. "FairPoint proposes that the Bureau conduct a challenge process to confirm whether any of the locations in certain previously unidentified census blocks were 'served' at the time FairPoint accepted Connect America Fund Phase I Round 2 support." Without the waiver, Universal Service Administrative Co. might disqualify all 1,027 locations to which a FairPoint subsidiary, Peoples Mutual Telephone, deployed broadband in the previously unidentified 185 census blocks, and require a refund of the associated CAF support, said the petition: "Such a result would leave FairPoint with a substantial deficit of approximately $575,000 -- an amount that otherwise would be dedicated to continued expansion of its advanced service capabilities."

An FCC revamp of broadband network overbuild terms it had put on Charter Communications' buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks likely points to the agency under Chairman Ajit Pai being far less likely to try to impose nontransaction-specific conditions in other cable ISP takeovers, experts told us. Overbuild conditions themselves might be somewhat unlikely, at least in cases when the fact pattern matches Charter/TWC, consultant and economist Hal Singer said.

An FCC revamp of broadband network overbuild terms it had put on Charter Communications' buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks likely points to the agency under Chairman Ajit Pai being far less likely to try to impose nontransaction-specific conditions in other cable ISP takeovers, experts told us. Overbuild conditions themselves might be somewhat unlikely, at least in cases when the fact pattern matches Charter/TWC, consultant and economist Hal Singer said.

Universal Service Administrative Co. in 2016 focused on protecting USF integrity, streamlining and optimizing program operations, supporting stakeholders "through better online tools," and employing data "to improve operational effectiveness," said CEO Chris Henderson in USAC's annual report posted Thursday in FCC docket 96-45. "These initiatives became all the more important with the FCC’s new and ongoing modernization orders for Lifeline, High Cost, and Schools and Libraries. While Rural Health Care didn’t have a formal modernization order from the FCC, 2016 was a transformative year as we implemented changes to accommodate a growth in demand for funds. The ground work we laid to prepare for these program shifts was a stabilizing force in a year of enormous change, and has helped us execute a volume of work unparalleled at USAC."

Universal Service Administrative Co. in 2016 focused on protecting USF integrity, streamlining and optimizing program operations, supporting stakeholders "through better online tools," and employing data "to improve operational effectiveness," said CEO Chris Henderson in USAC's annual report posted Thursday in FCC docket 96-45. "These initiatives became all the more important with the FCC’s new and ongoing modernization orders for Lifeline, High Cost, and Schools and Libraries. While Rural Health Care didn’t have a formal modernization order from the FCC, 2016 was a transformative year as we implemented changes to accommodate a growth in demand for funds. The ground work we laid to prepare for these program shifts was a stabilizing force in a year of enormous change, and has helped us execute a volume of work unparalleled at USAC."