NARUC may formally ask the FCC to postpone a Dec. 2 deadline to align state low-income programs with updated federal rules that added broadband as a supported Lifeline service. Association members plan to vote on a resolution seeking a delay at its annual meeting Nov. 13-16 in La Quinta, California, said draft resolutions released Tuesday. NARUC also plans to vote on three other telecom resolutions related to the Connect America Fund (CAF), VoIP applications for phone numbers and numbering best practices.

The Senate Commerce Committee released its report Thursday on the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act (S-1916), which prompted its placement on the Senate floor legislative calendar under general orders. The bipartisan measure was introduced by Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., in August 2015 and cleared from the Commerce Committee last November. The legislation would “include skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) among the types of health care providers that may obtain support from the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Rural Health Care Program,” the 16-page report said. The House Commerce Committee cleared a companion version in May.

The Senate Commerce Committee released its report Thursday on the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act (S-1916), which prompted its placement on the Senate floor legislative calendar under general orders. The bipartisan measure was introduced by Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., in August 2015 and cleared from the Commerce Committee last November. The legislation would “include skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) among the types of health care providers that may obtain support from the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Rural Health Care Program,” the 16-page report said. The House Commerce Committee cleared a companion version in May.

AT&T warned about possibly long implementation for some universal service fund contribution reform options, in a phone call with a state member of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. AT&T Executive Director-State and Legislative Affairs Jolynn Butler Friday phoned Michigan Public Service Commission Chairman Sally Talberg, said an AT&T ex parte letter posted Wednesday in docket 06-122. “The Joint Board should be mindful of the relative administrative ease and costs associated with the various options for contribution methodology reform,” AT&T said. “Some changes to the contribution methodology would entail longer implementation periods than others.”

Comments are due Nov. 9, replies Nov. 16 on a telecom industry petition for FCC reconsideration of a policy statement instituting treble damages for violations of rules for payments to USF and other funding programs. The pleading cycle was triggered Wednesday by Federal Register publication of an FCC notice, which created docket 16-330. "The policy statement adopts a new treble damages formula for calculating forfeitures for telecommunications service providers' failure: (1) to timely pay their assessments for the federal Universal Service Fund (USF), Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, local number portability (LNP), North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and regulatory fee programs; and (2) to file data required to assess payment obligations for these programs," said a petition filed March 6, 2015, by CTIA, NCTA, Comptel (now Incompas) and USTelecom (see 1503310052). The FCC's goals are laudable, the groups said, but the policy statement must be vacated because it wasn't promulgated with notice and comment under the Administrative Procedure Act. On substance, the treble damages policy is arbitrary and capricious, reflecting "a results-oriented effort by the Commission to drive the relevant forfeiture amounts as high as possible," said the groups, which pressed the agency in August to open a docket and seek comment on their petition (see 1608050061).

Comments are due Nov. 9, replies Nov. 16 on a telecom industry petition for FCC reconsideration of a policy statement instituting treble damages for violations of rules for payments to USF and other funding programs. The pleading cycle was triggered Wednesday by Federal Register publication of an FCC notice, which created docket 16-330. "The policy statement adopts a new treble damages formula for calculating forfeitures for telecommunications service providers' failure: (1) to timely pay their assessments for the federal Universal Service Fund (USF), Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, local number portability (LNP), North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and regulatory fee programs; and (2) to file data required to assess payment obligations for these programs," said a petition filed March 6, 2015, by CTIA, NCTA, Comptel (now Incompas) and USTelecom (see 1503310052). The FCC's goals are laudable, the groups said, but the policy statement must be vacated because it wasn't promulgated with notice and comment under the Administrative Procedure Act. On substance, the treble damages policy is arbitrary and capricious, reflecting "a results-oriented effort by the Commission to drive the relevant forfeiture amounts as high as possible," said the groups, which pressed the agency in August to open a docket and seek comment on their petition (see 1608050061).

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai's gigabit opportunity zone idea for helping close the digital divide is seeing "some promising green shoots" of bipartisan support in Congress, he told a Project Get Older Adults Online (GOAL) event. Pai said he hopes that and other proposals for promoting universal service will be embraced in 2017 "regardless of who controls the FCC or Congress." If all goes well, the coming administration change won't derail momentum or lead to work reinventing what is happening, said Comcast Executive Director-External Affairs Jackie Puente.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai's gigabit opportunity zone idea for helping close the digital divide is seeing "some promising green shoots" of bipartisan support in Congress, he told a Project Get Older Adults Online (GOAL) event. Pai said he hopes that and other proposals for promoting universal service will be embraced in 2017 "regardless of who controls the FCC or Congress." If all goes well, the coming administration change won't derail momentum or lead to work reinventing what is happening, said Comcast Executive Director-External Affairs Jackie Puente.

States are preparing low-income phone programs for federal changes to Lifeline, as the FCC Dec. 1 implementation deadline nears. With several Lifeline rules taking effect Dec. 2, under an FCC schedule (see 1610030040), NARUC General Counsel Brad Ramsay predicted some states will support a USTelecom petition to give some states more time. The Kentucky Public Service Commission plans to issue soon an order about how the changes affect its program, the Minnesota PUC released an order last week, and commissions in California and the District of Columbia are collecting comments. States have sued the FCC over the order, which added broadband internet access service (BIAS) as a supported service in the program.

States are preparing low-income phone programs for federal changes to Lifeline, as the FCC Dec. 1 implementation deadline nears. With several Lifeline rules taking effect Dec. 2, under an FCC schedule (see 1610030040), NARUC General Counsel Brad Ramsay predicted some states will support a USTelecom petition to give some states more time. The Kentucky Public Service Commission plans to issue soon an order about how the changes affect its program, the Minnesota PUC released an order last week, and commissions in California and the District of Columbia are collecting comments. States have sued the FCC over the order, which added broadband internet access service (BIAS) as a supported service in the program.