At the end of the 2014 campaign, the ratio of political advertising time to political news stories on Philadelphia’s major TV stations was 45:1, said a study released Thursday from Philly Political Media Watch. In the eight weeks leading up to the election, it said viewers of the top six stations in Philadelphia were bombarded with nearly 12,000 ads designed to influence the outcome. The study was a collaboration between technologists, academics, journalists and civic activists, funded by the Democracy Fund and the Rita Allen Foundation and led by the Internet Archive. Other major participating organizations were the Sunlight Foundation, the Committee of Seventy and the University of Delaware’s Center for Community Research and Service. The study was based on an examination of political ad and news broadcasts in the Philadelphia market, chosen for the pilot project because of its size and a coverage area that includes parts of three states, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Candidates and outside groups spent more than $15 million Sept. 1-Nov. 4 to air nearly 14,000 TV ads on the stations in the entire Philadelphia market, including surrounding municipalities and some small stations in New Jersey, the report said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., probed FCC members on possible rate regulation under Communications Act Title II reclassification at a Wednesday oversight hearing. “Let’s just say hypothetically that someone files a complaint at the FCC alleging” rates aren’t just and reasonable under Title II Section 201, Thune said, suggesting it could mean possible rate regulation. “That is absolutely right,” Commissioner Ajit Pai said, saying it “opens the door” to “ex post rate regulation.” Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said there has been no such complaint.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., probed FCC members on possible rate regulation under Communications Act Title II reclassification at a Wednesday oversight hearing. “Let’s just say hypothetically that someone files a complaint at the FCC alleging” rates aren’t just and reasonable under Title II Section 201, Thune said, suggesting it could mean possible rate regulation. “That is absolutely right,” Commissioner Ajit Pai said, saying it “opens the door” to “ex post rate regulation.” Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said there has been no such complaint.

A draft version of FCC reauthorization legislation would cap the USF at $9 billion a year and freeze FCC funding at its current level for the next four years. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., circulated the draft Tuesday, including it in the GOP memo for an FCC oversight hearing Thursday with all five commissioners. The reauthorization bill would let the agency adjust its fee schedule and would remove the FCC chairman’s ability to hire or fire its inspector general. “With this reauthorization, we are charting the course to make the necessary reforms to an agency that is ill equipped for the innovation era,” Walden said in a statement. “This bill addresses the commission’s disproportionate FY 2016 budget request, the runaway growth in the Universal Service Fund, and ensures that the FCC’s Inspector General can conduct oversight of the commission without fear of reprisal from a chairman.” The FCC requested $388 million for FY 2016, more than $50 million more than current funding. The GOP memo pointed to net neutrality, customer proprietary network information enforcement action, pre-emption of state municipal broadband restrictions, unfinished dockets, use of delegated authority and transparency as core areas that GOP lawmakers worry about. The memo cited “concerns” with recent testimony from FCC Managing Director Jon Wilkins -- “Mr. Wilkins was unable to provide details on the planned closures and staff re-organization of the field offices. Recent reports from the field indicate that the Commission is planning significant structural changes to its Enforcement Bureau. The Committee is concerned that transparency problems extend further into the budget request.” Wilkins testified that the FCC needs more money for “unavoidable costs” in moving its headquarters and for IT upgrades (see 1503040032). The FCC would receive $339.8 million each year through FY 2020, the draft text said. Walden’s hearing will be Thursday at 11 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The FCC declined comment.

A draft version of FCC reauthorization legislation would cap the USF at $9 billion a year and freeze FCC funding at its current level for the next four years. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., circulated the draft Tuesday, including it in the GOP memo for an FCC oversight hearing Thursday with all five commissioners. The reauthorization bill would let the agency adjust its fee schedule and would remove the FCC chairman’s ability to hire or fire its inspector general. “With this reauthorization, we are charting the course to make the necessary reforms to an agency that is ill equipped for the innovation era,” Walden said in a statement. “This bill addresses the commission’s disproportionate FY 2016 budget request, the runaway growth in the Universal Service Fund, and ensures that the FCC’s Inspector General can conduct oversight of the commission without fear of reprisal from a chairman.” The FCC requested $388 million for FY 2016, more than $50 million more than current funding. The GOP memo pointed to net neutrality, customer proprietary network information enforcement action, pre-emption of state municipal broadband restrictions, unfinished dockets, use of delegated authority and transparency as core areas that GOP lawmakers worry about. The memo cited “concerns” with recent testimony from FCC Managing Director Jon Wilkins -- “Mr. Wilkins was unable to provide details on the planned closures and staff re-organization of the field offices. Recent reports from the field indicate that the Commission is planning significant structural changes to its Enforcement Bureau. The Committee is concerned that transparency problems extend further into the budget request.” Wilkins testified that the FCC needs more money for “unavoidable costs” in moving its headquarters and for IT upgrades (see 1503040032). The FCC would receive $339.8 million each year through FY 2020, the draft text said. Walden’s hearing will be Thursday at 11 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The FCC declined comment.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., reintroduced legislation “to provide for the equitable distribution of Universal Service funds to rural States,” as its longer title said. Last Congress, Ayotte introduced the USF Equitable Distribution Act of 2013 (S-1766), which would have ensured that not less than 75 percent of the interstate telecom USF contributions in rural states stay within that state. It never advanced. Ayotte introduced S-734 Thursday. It has no co-sponsors and has been referred to the Commerce Committee, where Ayotte is a member. Its text is not yet online.

The FCC has not only “failed to pursue meaningful solutions” to making sure broadband is being deployed in a timely and reasonable fashion, but exacerbated the problem by “arbitrarily raising” the broadband benchmark speed and imposing Communications Act Title II regulation on broadband in the net neutrality order, NCTA said in comments filed Friday. Responded to the agency’s January notice of inquiry (see 1501290043) on improving broadband deployment, the comments hadn't been posted in docket 14-126. USTelecom also filed comments on the NOI Friday, which, according to its blog, focused on removing “outdated legacy regulations” and “restrictive local rules and regulations.” The commission failed to “effectively implement many of its own prior recommendations,” including adding broadband to Lifeline and implementing the Remote Areas Fund (RAF) to deploy broadband to unserved areas, NCTA said. The commission should immediately revoke offers to ILECs for high-cost USF support that don't meet the new 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload standard, it said. The funding should be offered on a competitively neutral basis to any qualified broadband provider willing to provide the new speed, NCTA said. The agency should also implement the RAF and issue an NPRM to create a broadband Lifeline program, the filing said. An independent third party should also examine why there hasn’t been more progress extending broadband deployment to unserved areas, even though more than $28 billion in federal funding has been spent on the goal since 2010, the filing said. USTelecom urged the agency to grant its October 2014 forbearance petition (see 1410070050), reforming state and local regulations “that impede a provider’s ability to roll out broadband services,” and ensure that broadband providers can deploy fiber in multi-dwelling units. The FCC should “promote efficient and carefully targeted broadband deployment in rural areas” through the Connect America Fund and develop “’sooner rather than later’ a long-term universal service solution for rate-of-return carriers,” USTelecom said.

The FCC has not only “failed to pursue meaningful solutions” to making sure broadband is being deployed in a timely and reasonable fashion, but exacerbated the problem by “arbitrarily raising” the broadband benchmark speed and imposing Communications Act Title II regulation on broadband in the net neutrality order, NCTA said in comments filed Friday. Responded to the agency’s January notice of inquiry (see 1501290043) on improving broadband deployment, the comments hadn't been posted in docket 14-126. USTelecom also filed comments on the NOI Friday, which, according to its blog, focused on removing “outdated legacy regulations” and “restrictive local rules and regulations.” The commission failed to “effectively implement many of its own prior recommendations,” including adding broadband to Lifeline and implementing the Remote Areas Fund (RAF) to deploy broadband to unserved areas, NCTA said. The commission should immediately revoke offers to ILECs for high-cost USF support that don't meet the new 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload standard, it said. The funding should be offered on a competitively neutral basis to any qualified broadband provider willing to provide the new speed, NCTA said. The agency should also implement the RAF and issue an NPRM to create a broadband Lifeline program, the filing said. An independent third party should also examine why there hasn’t been more progress extending broadband deployment to unserved areas, even though more than $28 billion in federal funding has been spent on the goal since 2010, the filing said. USTelecom urged the agency to grant its October 2014 forbearance petition (see 1410070050), reforming state and local regulations “that impede a provider’s ability to roll out broadband services,” and ensure that broadband providers can deploy fiber in multi-dwelling units. The FCC should “promote efficient and carefully targeted broadband deployment in rural areas” through the Connect America Fund and develop “’sooner rather than later’ a long-term universal service solution for rate-of-return carriers,” USTelecom said.

The net neutrality order approved Thursday (see 1502260043) prevents states for now from making broadband contribute to states' USF, an agency official told us. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, in voting for the overall order, opposed the restriction, but NARUC General Counsel Brad Ramsay said he doesn’t expect it to cause the same kind of backlash from states as the commission’s pre-emption at the same meeting of North Carolina and Tennessee municipal broadband laws (see 1502260030).

The net neutrality order approved Thursday (see 1502260043) prevents states for now from making broadband contribute to states' USF, an agency official told us. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, in voting for the overall order, opposed the restriction, but NARUC General Counsel Brad Ramsay said he doesn’t expect it to cause the same kind of backlash from states as the commission’s pre-emption at the same meeting of North Carolina and Tennessee municipal broadband laws (see 1502260030).