EU governments could be close to an agreement with the European Parliament on net neutrality provisions in the telecom single market (connected continent) legislative package, an EU diplomatic source said Wednesday. Net neutrality is one of the two main legal arguments in the debate over advertising blocking by ISPs and mobile operators, Hogan Lovells (Paris) telecom lawyer Winston Maxwell told us. Ad blocking could turn out to be a boon to users and spur a rethink of ads in general, said Roslyn Layton, a fellow at Denmark's Aalborg University Center for Communications, Media and Information Technologies.

Prodded by the FCC, telco groups are making progress but have yet to reach consensus on proposals to overhaul universal service funding for rate-of-return carriers, industry representatives told us Friday. The groups are due to provide FCC officials this week with a status report on their efforts to coalesce around a common approach for reforming USF mechanisms that provide up to $2 billion in annual subsidies for generally smaller, rural rate-of-return carriers, the representatives said.

Prodded by the FCC, telco groups are making progress but have yet to reach consensus on proposals to overhaul universal service funding for rate-of-return carriers, industry representatives told us Friday. The groups are due to provide FCC officials this week with a status report on their efforts to coalesce around a common approach for reforming USF mechanisms that provide up to $2 billion in annual subsidies for generally smaller, rural rate-of-return carriers, the representatives said.

Cox Communications, rural telecom groups and their cable and telco allies pushed back against opposition to their petitions for reconsideration of parts of the FCC December E-rate overhaul, in comments posted in docket 13-184 Tuesday. Cox urged the FCC to provide "robust safeguards" overseeing school and library E-rate applicants seeking to self-provision broadband or to light up dark fiber. The National Exchange Carrier Association, NTCA and WTA cited procedural concerns in calling on the FCC to back off imposing mandatory bidding requirements on rural telcos for providing broadband to anchor institutions with support they fear could be inadequate. USTelecom also recently backed Cox (see 1504300056), while T-Mobile this week, backed by other wireless parties, urged the FCC to make wireless-friendly changes to the E-rate rules that it said were unopposed (see 1505120020).

Cox Communications, rural telecom groups and their cable and telco allies pushed back against opposition to their petitions for reconsideration of parts of the FCC December E-rate overhaul, in comments posted in docket 13-184 Tuesday. Cox urged the FCC to provide "robust safeguards" overseeing school and library E-rate applicants seeking to self-provision broadband or to light up dark fiber. The National Exchange Carrier Association, NTCA and WTA cited procedural concerns in calling on the FCC to back off imposing mandatory bidding requirements on rural telcos for providing broadband to anchor institutions with support they fear could be inadequate. USTelecom also recently backed Cox (see 1504300056), while T-Mobile this week, backed by other wireless parties, urged the FCC to make wireless-friendly changes to the E-rate rules that it said were unopposed (see 1505120020).

Net neutrality was just one of many topics before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee​ during a Tuesday hearing, which featured FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai. Senators focused on USF overhaul issues just as lawmakers in the House and Senate pushed for stand-alone broadband support, as expected (see 1504210033). Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., told us after the hearing that his two big concerns with the FCC's FY 2016 budget request, an increase of about $50 million over its current budget, remain “the moving expense” associated with the FCC’s headquarters relocation and the FCC’s use of $25 million from the USF for administrative purposes.

Net neutrality was just one of many topics before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee​ during a Tuesday hearing, which featured FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai. Senators focused on USF overhaul issues just as lawmakers in the House and Senate pushed for stand-alone broadband support, as expected (see 1504210033). Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., told us after the hearing that his two big concerns with the FCC's FY 2016 budget request, an increase of about $50 million over its current budget, remain “the moving expense” associated with the FCC’s headquarters relocation and the FCC’s use of $25 million from the USF for administrative purposes.

CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said he wants to head off “wrongful activity” under the net neutrality order by giving industry as much guidance as possible. He promised vigorous enforcement tempered by “regulatory humility” to ensure innovation isn’t stifled. LeBlanc was among the speakers Friday and Saturday at the FCBA’s annual retreat, where net neutrality was a hot topic. The net neutrality order also reclassified broadband Internet access as a telecom service under Title II of the Communications Act (see 1502260043 and 1502260050).

CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said he wants to head off “wrongful activity” under the net neutrality order by giving industry as much guidance as possible. He promised vigorous enforcement tempered by “regulatory humility” to ensure innovation isn’t stifled. LeBlanc was among the speakers Friday and Saturday at the FCBA’s annual retreat, where net neutrality was a hot topic. The net neutrality order also reclassified broadband Internet access as a telecom service under Title II of the Communications Act (see 1502260043 and 1502260050).

The FCC rejected the requests by Alaskan telco Adak Eagle Enterprises and subsidiary Windy City Cellular for a waiver of its universal service funding caps. In a 14-page order approved 5-0, commissioners found AEE/WCC provided "no basis" for relief despite arguments WCC could go bankrupt without more support. In a 2012 order, the Wireline and Wireless bureaus found AEE/WCC had unjustified costs and denied their waiver from a $250/line monthly high-cost support cap imposed under the 2011 USF/intercarrier compensation reform order, though it granted a temporary extension of their previous interim monthly support levels of $33,276 and $40,104 to give the companies time to adjust and avoid service disruptions. AEE/WCC filed a petition for reconsideration and application of review in 2013 seeking above-cap support levels, triggering a lengthy FCC revenue proceeding during which further temporary extensions of interim support were granted. In Thursday's denial, the full commission found AEE/WCC "continued to have excessive and unreasonable expenses." The commission upheld a bureau finding that WCC was not the only voice provider on a significant portion of Adak Island due to the presence of GCI, an alternative provider. It said AEE and GCI provide voice support to those areas of Adak Island where the vast majority of people live. The commission disputed AEE/WCC's contention that the bureau determination was based on promises of future service, concluding that it was based on "current and actual" service. The FCC acknowledged AEE/WCC's claim that without further support it could discontinue service at one cell site, causing some consumers to lose coverage in that area, but it said some trade-offs were needed to ensure USF support was used "efficiently" to expand overall national coverage to as many people as possible. "It is not a guarantee of support ... for every cell site," the order said. The agency acknowledged AEE/WCC's warning that WCC could go bankrupt without higher support, but said it couldn't justify a waiver based on such a threat. Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Mike O'Rielly issued a joint statement recognizing that "serious questions remain" despite the extensive record, but said that without "sufficient answers" the agency could not provide a waiver. "Rather than prolong this already lengthy inquiry, it is important to provide a response," they said. "We are very mindful of the potential impact on residents of Adak, but there is no evidence that they are at risk of losing access to communications services." A lawyer for the company had no immediate comment.