The FCC provided compliance guidance to price-cap telcos that accepted Connect America Fund Phase I incremental support. CAF I support was offered in two rounds, and for both rounds recipients are required to submit certifications and lists of geocoded locations as part of their annual FCC Form 481 submissions, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 10-90 listed in Monday's Daily Digest. The three-year deadline for meeting the CAF I incremental support duties for the first round was July 24, 2015, the PN said. "CAF Phase I recipients for the first round are required to certify that they are meeting the CAF Phase I incremental support requirements and provide the final list of locations as part of their Form 481 submission due July 1, 2016," it said. "CAF Phase I recipients for the second round will be required to certify on their FCC Form 481 due July 1, 2016 that they deployed broadband to no fewer than two-thirds of the required locations within two years of the date of acceptance of support. CAF Phase I recipients for the second round will submit geocoded information for the two-year milestone on July 1, 2016." The Universal Service Administrative Co. will be validating compliance with deployment milestones and testing certification accuracy. The bureau also provided guidance on the types of documents that recipients should be prepared to produce on request.

The FCC is committed to striking the right balance of cost and speed in its upcoming Connect America Fund Phase II reverse auction to spread broadband deployment further into high-cost areas, an FCC official said at the live-streamed Mountain Connect conference in Keystone, Colorado. “We’re dedicated to getting it right,” said Ryan Palmer, chief of the Telecommunications Access Policy Division in the FCC Wireline Bureau. Also, Palmer said top commission priorities this year include special access reform and tribal broadband access.

ViaSat said it backs the FCC Connect America Fund Phase II auction framework "inviting new service providers" to bid on rural broadband subsidies (see 1605250046 and 1605260034). ViaSat lauded the FCC for listening to various parties "and taking an important first step toward expanding beyond legacy technologies and creating a technology neutral competition to provide the best available broadband access universally," said CEO Mark Dankberg, in a release emailed Wednesday and dated last Friday. "ViaSat stands ready to participate in the proceeding and auction by offering future-ready satellite internet solutions that will help fill the broadband gap in the United States with a high-quality, high-performance broadband and voice service to the target households."

ViaSat said it backs the FCC Connect America Fund Phase II auction framework "inviting new service providers" to bid on rural broadband subsidies (see 1605250046 and 1605260034). ViaSat lauded the FCC for listening to various parties "and taking an important first step toward expanding beyond legacy technologies and creating a technology neutral competition to provide the best available broadband access universally," said CEO Mark Dankberg, in a release emailed Wednesday and dated last Friday. "ViaSat stands ready to participate in the proceeding and auction by offering future-ready satellite internet solutions that will help fill the broadband gap in the United States with a high-quality, high-performance broadband and voice service to the target households."

The European Commission is expected to reject universal platform regulation in favor of a sector-specific approach, said Computer & Communications Industry Association Europe Vice President James Waterworth at a Tuesday briefing. The EC communication, to be released Wednesday, is likely to say Europe should be platform-innovative and back a level playing field, a meaningless term that raises concerns for CCIA, he said. In its briefing, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said it's worried a level playing field could be used to justify deregulation in some markets, and the online platform proposal could promote industry self-regulation to the detriment of users. And 14 EU governments asked the EC to take a light-touch approach to regulating online platforms. The original EC consultation on platforms attracted widespread criticism from telco, Internet, consumer and digital rights groups (see 1601110001).

Facing a largely receptive House Commerce subcommittee, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez told lawmakers Tuesday what she thought about the 17 bills that would either broaden the commission's authority, curtail its enforcement tools or impose heavier burdens in reporting. While she spoke favorably of several bills such as those that would prevent scalpers from scooping up tickets online or one that would lift the common-carrier exemption from its statute, Ramirez said at the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee hearing other bills would make the commission's life more difficult, a sentiment that several Democrats supported.

Facing a largely receptive House Commerce subcommittee, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez told lawmakers Tuesday what she thought about the 17 bills that would either broaden the commission's authority, curtail its enforcement tools or impose heavier burdens in reporting. While she spoke favorably of several bills such as those that would prevent scalpers from scooping up tickets online or one that would lift the common-carrier exemption from its statute, Ramirez said at the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee hearing other bills would make the commission's life more difficult, a sentiment that several Democrats supported.

The European Commission is expected to reject universal platform regulation in favor of a sector-specific approach, said Computer & Communications Industry Association Europe Vice President James Waterworth at a Tuesday briefing. The EC communication, to be released Wednesday, is likely to say Europe should be platform-innovative and back a level playing field, a meaningless term that raises concerns for CCIA, he said. In its briefing, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said it's worried a level playing field could be used to justify deregulation in some markets, and the online platform proposal could promote industry self-regulation to the detriment of users. And 14 EU governments asked the EC to take a light-touch approach to regulating online platforms. The original EC consultation on platforms attracted widespread criticism from telco, Internet, consumer and digital rights groups (see 1601110001).

Facing a largely receptive House Commerce subcommittee, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez told lawmakers Tuesday what she thought about the 17 bills that would either broaden the commission's authority, curtail its enforcement tools or impose heavier burdens in reporting. While she spoke favorably of several bills such as those that would prevent scalpers from scooping up tickets online or one that would lift the common-carrier exemption from its statute, Ramirez said at the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee hearing other bills would make the commission's life more difficult, a sentiment that several Democrats supported.

The Congressional Budget Office scored several House measures this week that cleared the Commerce Committee last month (see 1604280044). HR-2589, which would force the FCC to post adopted items within 24 hours of receiving dissents, “would have no significant effect on the agency’s workload or costs,” CBO said. The Spectrum Challenge Prize Act (HR-4190) would, based “on the historical costs of administering other federal prize competitions,” end up costing upon implementation “a total $6 million over the 2017-2021 period, assuming the appropriation of the necessary amounts,” CBO said. It noted a similar cost estimate for the provision as included in the Senate’s Mobile Now (S-2555) legislation. The Rural Health Care Connectivity Act (HR-4111) “would increase direct spending by $193 million and revenues by $212 million over the 2017-2026 period, resulting in an estimated net reduction in the deficit of $19 million,” CBO said. “Because CBO expects the FCC would increase fee collections associated with the Universal Service Fund, the bill would increase the cost of an existing mandate on private entities required to pay those fees. Based on information from the FCC, CBO estimates that the incremental cost of the mandate would amount to no more than $25 million in any of the next five years.”