A draft FCC order would update several E-rate rules to ensure tribal colleges and university libraries are eligible to receive program support, according to a draft released Thursday (see 2306280064) for consideration during the commissioners' July 20 open meeting. The agency in its draft 988 outage reporting order defended the reporting requirement as requiring nominal action, requiring only clicking on a checkbox in its national outage reporting system (NORS) to indicate if a reported outage potentially affects a 988 facility.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals approved a request for an en banc rehearing of Consumers' Research's challenge of the FCC's method for funding the USF. In March, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously against Consumers' Research, saying the FCC "has not violated the private nondelegation doctrine because it wholly subordinates" the Universal Service Administrative Co., and Congress "supplied the FCC with intelligible principles when it tasked the agency with overseeing" USF.

The FCC will consider additional steps to ensure tribal communities have access to E-rate funding during the agency's July 20 meeting, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a note Wednesday. Rosenworcel circulated a proposal last week to allow the use of E-rate funds for Wi-Fi hot spots (see 2306260029). Also on the agenda are an order addressing local programming and proposed rules on reporting and notice requirements for 988 outages.

State broadband officials are eager to move forward on NTIA's broadband, equity, access and deployment program following the agency's announcement Monday of each state's funding totals (see 2306260007). Industry and advocates also emphasized the need for more participation in the FCC's affordable connectivity program so households can take advantage of new or upgraded infrastructure in their communities.

NTIA announced funding allocations for its broadband, equity, access, and deployment program Monday. All entities will receive a formal notice of their allocations Friday, the agency said. The $42.5 billion program will be used for broadband deployment efforts, adoption and workforce development. Initial proposals may be submitted from July 1 through Dec. 1. States and territories will have access to 20% of their allocated funds once their proposal is approved by NTIA. Texas is receiving by far the largest BEAD award, at more than $3.3 billion.

House Communications Subcommittee members made the future of the FCC’s affordable connectivity program a major focus of its Wednesday commission oversight hearing, as expected (see 2306200075), but the panel didn’t result in a clear sense of whether Commerce Committee GOP leaders will back additional funding for the initiative. Subpanel Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and others haven’t committed themselves as either for or against further ACP funding (see 2305100073). Democrats strongly defended the program and urged its extension.

Senate Commerce Committee Republicans are likely to barrage FCC nominee Anna Gomez with questions during a Thursday confirmation hearing to pinpoint her positions on communications policies the commission might act on under a 3-2 Democratic majority, but won’t go as negative as during ex-candidate Gigi Sohn’s February panel (see 2302140077), lawmakers and lobbyists said in interviews. Gomez will get a far friendlier reception from Senate Commerce’s Democratic majority, but officials say they will be eyeing questions from three caucus members who were undecided on Sohn in the weeks before her March withdrawal (see 2303070082).

Requiring Grande Communications Networks to post a bond pending its appeal of a copyright infringement lawsuit is a “punitive measure that would serve only to enrich the company that issues the bond,” said its reply (docket 1:17-cv-00365) Wednesday in support of its motion to stay executive of judgment and for a bond waiver in U.S. District Court for Western Texas in Austin.

The California Public Utilities Commission authorized pilot programs to allow low-income consumers to stack state and federal benefits to pay for wireline and wireless broadband services. At a virtual meeting Thursday, commissioners voted 5-0 for a revised draft (see 2306060048) in docket R.20-02-008. Meanwhile, a consumer group is raising concerns about Verizon’s Friday letter to the commission on its struggles to migrate TracFone California customers to its network. Ensuring those customers weren’t abandoned was a “central issue” in the state commission’s merger review two years ago, Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT) legal counsel Paul Goodman said in an interview.

Making content providers pay telcos to carry traffic may not be a good idea, several speakers said Thursday at a streamed Information Technology & Innovation Foundation event on the future of the internet in Europe. The European Commission has been consulting on the future of e-communications in the bloc, and one aspect of the inquiry is "fair compensation" for ISPs that carry traffic of major content producers (see Ref: 2303220017]). One question is whether this is even a problem, and whether regulation could have unintended consequences, said Analysys Mason Manager-TMT Strategy Shahan Osman.