Some want more clarity about the FCC's role regulating broadband, said comments posted through Tuesday. The agency asked to refresh dockets including 17-287, on how broadband service's reclassification as an information, not telecom, service affects authority over Lifeline, pole attachment agreements and public safety. Commenters disagreed whether the FCC should reconsider based on the public safety considerations.

President Donald Trump renewed his support Tuesday for efforts to include broadband funding in a fourth major COVID-19 legislative package, amid continued Capitol Hill interest in addressing broadband in future pandemic-related measures. The fortunes of broadband funding as part of future pandemic-related bills fluctuated in the weeks since Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the most recent aid bill (see 2003270058). Many tech and telecom entities listed proposals to include broadband funding in HR-748 and future aid legislation as one of the issues they lobbied the Hill on during Q1.

Disney, Huawei and ViacomCBS were among telecom and tech entities reporting increased Q1 lobbying spending by Monday afternoon. Microsoft, NAB and the Telecommunications Industry Association showed declines over the same period in 2019.

The telehealth industry fears the $200 million the FCC has available for emergency COVID-19 funding will quickly run out, before all forthcoming applications are considered. Stakeholders we spoke with this month are seeking additional funding, but called the funds included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act a good start. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Don Young, R-Ala., proposed an additional $2 billion in such spending Friday via their Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act (HR-6474).

NAB signed on to the push for Congress to include emergency funding for local media and stations in the next stimulus bill addressing COVID-19. Some Democrats and other groups made similar requests in recent days (see 2004080069). Officials from some pro-funding groups are hopeful Congress will provide in the coming measure, perhaps billions of dollars. Lobbyists we spoke with were divided on whether it will be a top priority.

Maine should respond by May 27 to the telecom industry seeking an immediate ruling that the state’s ISP privacy law is unconstitutional, the U.S. District Court of Maine said Tuesday in case 1:20-cv-00055. ACA Connects, USTelecom and other industry groups Monday filed a motion (in Pacer) for judgment on the pleadings. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s (D) answer (see 2004030075) to the complaint “confirms that the material facts supporting these allegations are undisputed, the Court should enter judgment in Plaintiffs’ favor on the pleadings and declare the Statute unconstitutional, thereby barring Defendant from enforcing it against Plaintiffs and their members,” industry said. The court Monday set (in Pacer) an expected trial date of Nov. 3 and other deadlines, including discovery by Aug. 24 and all dispositive motions Sept. 14.

Citing the need for MVPDs and fixed broadband providers to focus on pandemic issues, an FCC Media Bureau order Friday delayed implementation of Television Viewer Protection Act truth-in-billing implementation by six months until Dec. 20. TVPA, enacted as part of an FY 2020 federal appropriations law (see 1912190068), included modified language from the Truth-in-Billing, Remedies and User Empowerment over Fees (True Fees) Act (HR-1220/S-510). "Their foremost obligation at this time is to ensure continuity of service adequate to meet the nation’s needs," instead of changes to existing billing systems, employee training or other compliance measures, the Media Bureau said. ACA Connects, NCTA and USTelecom sought delayed implementation (see 2003270030). ACA said Friday even without the COVID-19 pandemic, the required software upgrades were challenging. NCTA cheered the extra time. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., urged the FCC Friday to “vigorously enforce" the truth-in-billing language, which will require cable and satellite providers to begin disclosing all fees before consumers sign up for a service. It also requires providers to allow cancellations within 24 hours without penalty and to only charge subscribers for equipment “they actually use.” The FCC needs to confirm it “fully intends to enforce the new law,” Markey and Eshoo said in a letter to Chairman Ajit Pai. “We would also like to know what, if any, guidance the Commission intends to provide [MVPDs] about compliance.” The agency didn’t comment.

U.S. communications networks are holding up under increased demand during a pandemic, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Thursday, after a conference call with industry groups and companies. He said providers report network usage up 20-35% for fixed networks and 10-20% for cellular networks in recent weeks, with increased demand in suburban, exurban and residential areas and during daytime. He said no providers expressed concern about their networks' capacity. Pai said the resilience is "in part to networks being designed to handle ever-higher peak traffic loads and in part to a market-based regulatory framework that has promoted infrastructure investment and deployment." He said the agency will "continue to closely monitor the situation." The FCC said the call was with ACA Connects, the Cloud Communications Alliance, Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Incompas, NCTA, NTCA, Rural Wireless Association, Satellite Industry Association, Wireless ISP Association, Western Telecommunications Alliance, Altice, AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter, Cincinnati Bell, Consolidated Communications, Comcast, Cox, Dish Network, Frontier, Hughes, Mediacom, Northwest Fiber, Sprint, T-Mobile, TDS, TracFone, U.S. Cellular, Verizon, ViaSat and Windstream. President Donald Trump spoke similarly this week with major ISPs (see 2003310070).

The FCC should rule “customer drop” pole attachments need no advance notice to investor-owned utilities, ACA Connects said in a Friday-posted filing about a Tuesday call with the Wireline Bureau. Such attachments are adjuncts to existing, approved attachments, ACA said. The proposed ruling “would provide greater clarity for attachers and utilities and is an immediate step the Commission can take to help new broadband customers get online rapidly -- a matter that has taken on heightened urgency during the COVID-19 epidemic,” the cable group said in docket 17-84.

Approve a blanket six-month delay of the June 20 effective date of transparency-in-billing provisions of the 2019 Television Viewer Protection Act (see 2003060049), NCTA, USTelecom and ACA Connects asked the FCC Friday in docket 20-61. They want the extension "immediately to allow MVPDs to redirect all necessary resources towards addressing COVID-19."