Seventy-eight Puerto Rican and three U.S. Virgin Islands’ municipalities remain in the disaster area of Tropical Storm Ernesto, the FCC said in Wednesday’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2408130047). No public safety answering points were reported down, though nearly 10% of cellsites in Puerto Rican affected counties were. The U.S. Virgin Islands reported 26.4% of cellsites down. Cable and wireline companies reported 287,294 subscribers without service in the disaster area. No TV or radio stations were said to be down.

Broadband service prices have largely escaped the ravages of inflation since 2015, hovering at around a nominal price of $90 a month, according to BroadbandNow. For example, since 2015, the average price of a cable connection has fallen 31% when adjusted for inflation, while the average cost of DSL has dropped 28% and the average cost of fiber-delivered service is down 39%. While nominal prices have remained largely steady, "there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the ability to afford a robust broadband connection in America today," BroadbandNow said, noting the large percentage of low-income households without a home broadband subscription. The particularly rapid decline in fiber prices "is a promising sign of what might be to come, provided current broadband affordability initiatives are continued or expanded upon at the federal level." That includes new funding of or an alternate version of the affordable connectivity program, it said. The price of internet service rose 3.9% between July 2023 and last month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index unadjusted data out Wednesday. Smartphone prices were down 8.2% year over year, while television set prices dropped 5.4%, it said. Computers, peripherals and smart home assistant prices fell 2.4%, while the cost of wireless phone service was down 0.8%, it said. The cost of residential phone service rose 4.4%, while cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs rose 1.6%. The cost of video purchase/subscription/rental increased 8.2%. Also rising were recorded music and music subscriptions, up 2.8%. BLS said July prices for all items rose 2.9% year over year before seasonal adjustment.

The FCC initiated the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Ernesto makes landfall, a public notice said Tuesday. Additionally, it activated the mandatory disaster response initiative (MDRI) for facilities-based mobile wireless providers in the affected area, which requires companies to allow reasonable roaming and cooperate in service restoration during disasters. The FCC also issued public notices on priority communications services and emergency communications procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority. The Public Safety Bureau issued a reminder for entities clearing debris and repairing utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.

The FCC deactivated its disaster information reporting system (DIRS) and mandatory disaster response initiative for Tropical Storm Debby in Virginia and the Carolinas, the agency announced Friday and Saturday, respectively. Communications providers there no longer have to report on their cellular networks in DIRS. The FCC said it will continue monitoring their status.

Tropical Storm Debby knocked out cable and wireline service for 7,408 subscribers, an increase from 4,875 on Thursday, the FCC said in Friday’s disaster information reporting system report (see 2408060053). The FCC activated the mandatory disaster response initiative for 34 Virginia counties on Friday. The storm left .3% of North Carolina and .1% of South Carolina cellsites down, a slight improvement from Thursday. No public safety answering points or TV or radio stations were reported down.

The FCC "improperly heightened the standard of review that it had previously promised to apply to winning bidders in its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction and relied on vague and unwritten criteria to deny LTD Broadband hundreds of millions of dollars that it planned to use to deploy broadband to rural America," the company told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (docket 24-1017). In a reply brief Friday, LTD said the FCC applied a standard that was "more stringent than any it had ever applied" (see 2408060031). The commission "faulted LTD Broadband for not meeting granular criteria that nowhere appear on the face of its rules," LTD noted, adding the company "vigorously contests the FCC's conclusion" that it's "unqualified for RDOF support." LTD asked that the court to reinstate its long-form application, noting the FCC's "failure to even consider partial authorization for a smaller footprint is particularly remarkable."

Tropical Storm Debby’s disaster information reporting system was deactivated for Florida and activated for 48 counties in North Carolina, the FCC said in Thursday’s report (see 2408070032). The storm left .5% of North Carolina and .1% of South Carolina cellsites down, unchanged from Wednesday; 4,875 cable and wireline subscribers are without service, down from 17,344 Wednesday. No TV or radio stations were reported down.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society's motion before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is "crystal clear" that the group is seeking relief for only the two dockets with pending petitions before the FCC on net neutrality rules, the group said in a reply brief Wednesday night (see 2408070001). "The sole basis for seeking abeyance is the pendency of a recently-filed petition for reconsideration addressing the same issue as that raised here by movants," Benton said (docket 24-7000). It asked that the court act "as expeditiously as possible" because industry groups didn't oppose the targeted request.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hold in abeyance scheduled briefings on the pending challenge of the FCC's net neutrality rules following the court's decision to stay the rules and schedule oral argument for the fall (see 2408010065). In a motion Tuesday the FCC did not oppose (docket 24-7000), Benton cited a pending petition before the commission that "makes it possible that other further action of this could likely render moot or alter the issue" presented before the court. "Courts of Appeal commonly hold proceedings in abeyance when overlapping petitions for administrative reconsideration have been filed," Benton said: "That is the most prudent course here." A coalition of industry groups conditionally opposed the motion, saying the court “plainly should not hold industry petitioners’ cases in abeyance, nor should it pause the briefing of industry petitioners’ cases while it considers the abeyance motion.” CTIA, USTelecom, NCTA, ACA Connects, the Wireless ISP Association and several state telecom associations said they didn’t oppose the motion only if Benton sought “for only their own petitions to be held in abeyance.”

The FCC Office of International Affairs on Tuesday sought comment on draft recommendations for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference. The FCC's WRC Advisory Committee approved the draft recommendations Monday (see 2408050034). Comments are due Aug. 20 in docket 24-30. Among the preliminary views approved Tuesday were recommendations for studies on sharing and compatibility and the use of international mobile telecommunications in the 4, 7/8 and 15 GHz bands and changes to radio regulations in support of aeronautical mobile high frequency operations, as well as various satellite items.