A draft FCC Lifeline action would partly grant some industry and other requests for delaying the full impact of changes due Dec. 1 to the program, agency and industry officials told us Friday. The move could be released as state telecom commissioners are meeting in San Antonio, after they asked their federal counterparts at their last meeting to delay such changes. Various industry and other groups made their own requests.

Alaska Gov. Michael Dunleavy sought clarification of an FCC rule on rural telehealth, among petitions for reconsiderations posted in docket 17-310 Wednesday. Dunleavy said the new mechanisms for determining cost recovery rates "don't sufficiently acknowledge the logistical and economic challenges to delivering service throughout rural Alaska, nor does it recognize the dramatic differences between our regions and communities." Rule changes would lead to systemic underfunding of telecom needed to deliver healthcare services to hard-to-reach communities, the Republican said. Alaska Communications asked to promptly address all outstanding matters from the telehealth rulemaking. It said the FCC is better positioned than the Universal Service Administrative Co. to timely resolve questions about rural rate determinations. USTelecom has concerns about how the FCC will implement a new median rural rate framework, citing material errors or omissions, and "Alaska requires a different approach to setting a rural rate that is unique." The median rate calculation risks "defunding telehealth services for the neediest rural Alaskans," it said. The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition said USAC may have overstated nonrural telehealth expenditures, and the FCC should reconsider major policy changes based on such data. It also warned against deprioritizing funding for nonrural telehealth consortium participants. The North Carolina Telehealth Network Association and Southern Ohio Health Network asked the FCC to modify the definition of rural for the purposes of the program's eligibility.

Alaska Gov. Michael Dunleavy sought clarification of an FCC rule on rural telehealth, among petitions for reconsiderations posted in docket 17-310 Wednesday. Dunleavy said the new mechanisms for determining cost recovery rates "don't sufficiently acknowledge the logistical and economic challenges to delivering service throughout rural Alaska, nor does it recognize the dramatic differences between our regions and communities." Rule changes would lead to systemic underfunding of telecom needed to deliver healthcare services to hard-to-reach communities, the Republican said. Alaska Communications asked to promptly address all outstanding matters from the telehealth rulemaking. It said the FCC is better positioned than the Universal Service Administrative Co. to timely resolve questions about rural rate determinations. USTelecom has concerns about how the FCC will implement a new median rural rate framework, citing material errors or omissions, and "Alaska requires a different approach to setting a rural rate that is unique." The median rate calculation risks "defunding telehealth services for the neediest rural Alaskans," it said. The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition said USAC may have overstated nonrural telehealth expenditures, and the FCC should reconsider major policy changes based on such data. It also warned against deprioritizing funding for nonrural telehealth consortium participants. The North Carolina Telehealth Network Association and Southern Ohio Health Network asked the FCC to modify the definition of rural for the purposes of the program's eligibility.

The FCC Wireline Bureau issued guidance Tuesday for funding recipients in USF competitive bidding on how to notify the bureau of discrepancies between the number of funded locations and locations a provider can serve with broadband (see 1809100042). An order in docket 10-90 establishes a one-time eligible locations adjustment process (ELAP). A Connect America Fund-II participant officer must certify under penalty of perjury the provider did due diligence. Eligible stakeholders have 90 days from release of the new data to file a challenge; responses will be due 30 days after that. The bureau will work with Universal Service Administrative Co. on a process to accept and retain ELAP location submissions and control access to the information for confidentiality and privacy purposes, and the bureau will work with USAC on an ELAP map.

The FCC Wireline Bureau issued guidance Tuesday for funding recipients in USF competitive bidding on how to notify the bureau of discrepancies between the number of funded locations and locations a provider can serve with broadband (see 1809100042). An order in docket 10-90 establishes a one-time eligible locations adjustment process (ELAP). A Connect America Fund-II participant officer must certify under penalty of perjury the provider did due diligence. Eligible stakeholders have 90 days from release of the new data to file a challenge; responses will be due 30 days after that. The bureau will work with Universal Service Administrative Co. on a process to accept and retain ELAP location submissions and control access to the information for confidentiality and privacy purposes, and the bureau will work with USAC on an ELAP map.

Concerns mounted Friday about a draft order to bar companies that may pose a national security threat to U.S. interests from having USF money paying for their equipment when used in American telecom networks. Wireless and wireline interests sought changes. Huawei, which could be subject to the ban, retorted. And a professor whose report was cited in the draft expressed some surprise at that inclusion, while defending his report from the company's criticism.

Concerns mounted Friday about a draft order to bar companies that may pose a national security threat to U.S. interests from having USF money paying for their equipment when used in American telecom networks. Wireless and wireline interests sought changes. Huawei, which could be subject to the ban, retorted. And a professor whose report was cited in the draft expressed some surprise at that inclusion, while defending his report from the company's criticism.

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted petitions to Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative and Consolidated Communications Networks to waive a commitment to serve a specific number of locations under rural broadband experiments in the USF Connect America Fund program, in an order posted to docket 10-90 Thursday. "Petitioners demonstrate that the required number of locations exceeds the actual number of locations that the petitioners have been able to identify within their respective study areas," the bureau said. The agency will direct Universal Service Administrative Co. to reduce payments accordingly.

The FCC Wireline Bureau granted petitions to Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative and Consolidated Communications Networks to waive a commitment to serve a specific number of locations under rural broadband experiments in the USF Connect America Fund program, in an order posted to docket 10-90 Thursday. "Petitioners demonstrate that the required number of locations exceeds the actual number of locations that the petitioners have been able to identify within their respective study areas," the bureau said. The agency will direct Universal Service Administrative Co. to reduce payments accordingly.

CTIA urged the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission to wait to recommend state USF changes to the legislature. The commission adopted rules implementing a state USF broadband program in December 2017, "less than two years ago," and applications for first broadband projects were filed "only last year,” CTIA commented Thursday in case 19-00046-UT. “Any suggestions made now would be based on mere opinions, not objective data drawn from completed projects.” Tap the state’s general fund rather than increase the size of state USF, which would “disproportionately and adversely” affect wireless customers who contribute most, CTIA said. No legislative changes are needed, commented the New Mexico Exchange Carrier Group. The state fund “is providing a reliable mechanism for supporting universal service availability at affordable rates in rural areas and, at the same time, promoting the expansion of broadband internet access service to unserved and underserved areas.” The PRC could draw more broadband funding from state USF without changing the fund or statute, CTIA suggested. "The Commission can ensure that more money is committed to broadband deployment in New Mexico by requiring carriers receiving access replacement or need-based subsidies to spend more than the statutory minimum” of 60 percent of those subsidies, it said. The exchange carriers disagreed: The current 60 percent threshold isn't "unreasonably burdensome" for recipients, but if it's increased, some “may find it difficult or impossible to meet a higher threshold for broadband expenditures and still be able to cover their non-broadband expenses without raising local rates.”