Basing net neutrality rules on Communications Act Title II would mean small- and medium-sized ISPs would be “burdened with the costs required to retain lawyers” and “to administer the reporting and other rules that would no doubt go along with it,” 99 companies wrote Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, hoping to push President Barack Obama’s administration to oppose treating the companies as common carriers. “We want to get the president’s ear,” said Alex Phillips, FCC committee chairman for the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, of the letter to the cabinet-level agency from WISPA members.

Executives from Alaskan telco Adak Eagle Enterprises and its Windy City Cellular subsidiary urged FCC staff last week to provide a “permanent solution” to the funding issues they have sought to alleviate by seeking a waiver of a monthly $250 per line cap on high-cost universal service support, the companies said in an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 10-90(http://bit.ly/1pmMl2l). Adak Eagle and Windy City have been seeking FCC reconsideration of their waiver petition, which the Wireless and Wireline bureaus denied last year (CD Aug 16 p5). Neither company can survive “absent a waiver,” they said, saying Windy City was the only cellular service available in June to Adak Island residents who had evacuated to the island’s Bering Hill while awaiting a possible tsunami. The companies also reminded the FCC that the interim funding the FCC granted them in late February -- $33,276 to Adak Eagle and $40,104 to Windy City -- would run out Thursday.

The FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee released a statement Monday commending the FCC for its work on mobile device theft. The CAC recommended the FCC refresh consumer education materials “with regard to stolen smartphones to educate consumers about new technologies and best practices in mobile device security,” and coordinate “carefully planned and funded” public service announcement campaigns among other steps (http://bit.ly/WK8rCy). “Wireless device theft -- and particularly smartphone theft -- is a pervasive and devastating crime affecting millions of American consumers,” CAC said. In a second statement, CAC recommended that the FCC “closely coordinate” with other federal departments, independent agencies and program administrators “that oversee direct low-income consumer assistance programs” to align commission policies on universal service with other work being done to help low-income consumers (http://bit.ly/1rwf3h7).

The FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee released a statement Monday commending the FCC for its work on mobile device theft. The CAC recommended the FCC refresh consumer education materials “with regard to stolen smartphones to educate consumers about new technologies and best practices in mobile device security,” and coordinate “carefully planned and funded” public service announcement campaigns among other steps (http://bit.ly/WK8rCy). “Wireless device theft -- and particularly smartphone theft -- is a pervasive and devastating crime affecting millions of American consumers,” CAC said. In a second statement, CAC recommended that the FCC “closely coordinate” with other federal departments, independent agencies and program administrators “that oversee direct low-income consumer assistance programs” to align commission policies on universal service with other work being done to help low-income consumers (http://bit.ly/1rwf3h7).

The FCC must address the overall spending of the USF, not use “savings” from universal service reform to expand other USF programs, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Friday in remarks to the commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC). O'Rielly said he wanted to lay down this marker as the agency takes up Lifeline reform. He also suggested that at least one of the CAC members should come from a group representing taxpayers.

The White House Rural Council announced the creation of a $10 billion investment fund that aims to help a variety of rural infrastructure projects, including deployment of broadband infrastructure. President Barack Obama created the council in 2011 to focus on rural initiatives. The fund is known as the U.S. Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund, and CoBank is the anchor investor in this public-private partnership, with Capitol Peak Asset Management handling the fund’s operations.

The White House Rural Council announced the creation of a $10 billion investment fund that aims to help a variety of rural infrastructure projects, including deployment of broadband infrastructure. President Barack Obama created the council in 2011 to focus on rural initiatives. The fund is known as the U.S. Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund, and CoBank is the anchor investor in this public-private partnership, with Capitol Peak Asset Management handling the fund’s operations.

The FCC Wireless and Wireline bureaus approved the $650,000 winning bid of Triangle Communications for Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support in Fort Belknap, Montana, the site of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. The Friday notice directed the Universal Service Administrative Company to pay the company. The initial payment is equal to one-third of the total winning bid amount, the notice said (http://bit.ly/1moE2yg). It said winners “will be subject to a performance default payment if it fails or is unable to meet its coverage requirement, other service requirements, or fails to fulfill any other term or condition of Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support.” The co-op provides telecom services in 39 exchanges located in 16 Montana counties (http://bit.ly/1jYHdlX).

More than 1,000 comments on net neutrality on what was supposed to be the last day to file comments on the polarizing issue crashed the FCC electronic filing system Tuesday, the agency acknowledged, forcing it to extend the deadline for comments until midnight Friday night. “Not surprisingly, we have seen an overwhelming surge in traffic on our website that is making it difficult for many people to file comments through our Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS),” the FCC said in a statement, after hours of problems. Free Press said in a news release the problems led many in the Washington, D.C., area to deliver comments by hand.

More than 1,000 comments on net neutrality on what was supposed to be the last day to file comments on the polarizing issue crashed the FCC electronic filing system Tuesday, the agency acknowledged, forcing it to extend the deadline for comments until midnight Friday night. “Not surprisingly, we have seen an overwhelming surge in traffic on our website that is making it difficult for many people to file comments through our Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS),” the FCC said in a statement, after hours of problems. Free Press said in a news release the problems led many in the Washington, D.C., area to deliver comments by hand.