The FCC TV incentive auction is slated to finally end Thursday. The assignment phase of the auction, the longest FCC auction in history, started March 6 and is expected to conclude by Thursday, said a February public notice. The FCC has been doing four bidding rounds per day, with 74 assignment rounds expected, said the notice. The FCC isn't providing updates and has posted two announcements since the phase began, both dealing with the winter storm that threatened the Washington area two weeks ago. The agency announced March 14 bidding was continuing as scheduled despite the storm.

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn released a final version of her #Solutions2020 call to action plan which grew out of a series of visits she made across the U.S. Clyburn emphasized broadband affordability and other proposed policy calls in the plan, during a conference at the Georgetown Law School in October (see 1610190044). The FCC sought comments, filed in January (see 1701120045). “The work of ensuring affordable access to communications to all Americans may or may not ever be fully realized, but we should never fail to try,” the document said. “Twenty years ago, an average family of four paid for two fixed telephone lines and dial-up Internet access. Now that same family MAY have a fixed phone in the home accompanied by a broadband internet connection, along with two or more mobile voice and data lines. This means that the number of services purchased in order to keep up with the Joneses, has risen in cost so much, that for the lowest-income Americans who can barely afford one device or service, the digital divide continues to widen.” Recommendations include that the FCC must do better job of engaging with Tribal governments. “The FCC’s Office of Native Affairs should be empowered as a standalone Office with its own budget that is sufficient to proactively engage with Tribes on important issues of communications policy,” the call to action said. Clyburn backs passage a number of bills, including Mobile Now on spectrum. The commission should set aside more spectrum for unlicensed use, the plan said. “Despite the amount of spectrum that the FCC has auctioned over the years, there are too many areas in this country -- most notably rural areas and low income urban communities -- that do not have the number of choices for broadband providers that most Americans enjoy,” the plan read. “Unlicensed spectrum has and must continue to play a role in helping to close this gap.” Clyburn released the final version at the SouthEast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors conference Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The FCC posted the illegal robocalls NPRM and notice of inquiry approved by commissioners Thursday (see 1703230035). “We begin a process to facilitate voice service providers’ blocking of illegal robocalls, which represent an annoyance -- and often worse -- for consumers,” the notice in docket 17-59 said. “We propose rules that would allow providers to -- on their customers’ behalf -- block the illegal robocalls that can bombard their phones at all hours of the day, in some cases luring consumers into scams (e.g., when a caller claims to be collecting money owed to the Internal Revenue Service) or leading to identity theft.” Comments will be due 45 days after publication in the Federal Register, replies 30 days later.

The FCC issued an item that seeks to improve the video relay service program that helps the deaf and hard of hearing communicate. The 82-page VRS text contains a report and order, notice of inquiry, Further NPRM and order adopted Thursday by commissioners 3-0 (see 1703230055). The orders authorize voluntary trials on the use of specialized and deaf interpreters, and make other targeted changes. The FNPRM proposes to set a new four-year schedule of VRS provider compensation rates, which have been cut under the current schedule ending on June 30. The commission sought comments by April 24, replies May 4 on various rate proposals and "service-based routing" and "research and development" issues. Small providers have proposed raising their compensation rates but cutting further the highest-volume rate targeting Sorenson Communications, the largest provider. Sorenson proposed "less regulatory" market-based mechanisms. Comments on all other matters in the notices will be due 45 days after Federal Register publication of a summary, replies 30 days later.

AT&T won't directly or indirectly communicate or seek out competitively sensitive information from any multichannel video programming distributor, except for a lawful purpose, under the draft settlement (in Pacer) between it and DOJ filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The settlement -- which would end a 2016 lawsuit calling AT&T-owned DirecTV the ringleader of an information-sharing cabal of MVPDs trying to negotiate with regional sports network SportsNet LA (see 1611020034) -- also requires that the company institute an antitrust training and compliance program for executives and workers involved in content carriage negotiations, and name an antitrust compliance officer. In a statement, acting Assistant Attorney General-Antitrust Division Brent Snyder said, “When competitors email, text, or otherwise share confidential and strategically sensitive information with each other to avoid competing, consumers lose." AT&T in a statement said it was "pleased to have resolved the matter to the satisfaction of all parties."

Consumer advocates and individuals urged the FCC to undo revocation of nine Lifeline broadband provider (LBP) designations and to move forward with other actions to help low-income consumers get access to high-speed services under the USF subsidy program. Free Press received more than 13,000 comments from people protesting FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's "attacks on Lifeline and supporting the expansion of the program to broadband," it said in a release. Pai has defended the Wireline Bureau's February LBP revocation decision (see 1702070062). Free Press joined reply comments of Voices for Internet Freedom members at the commission in docket 11-42, which were due Thursday. "Another 18,000 public comments were filed by Demand Progress, a digital rights group urging the FCC to support Lifeline and close the digital divide for those who need access most," Free Press said. Most initial comments contained similar pleas, but industry representatives didn't expect the FCC to reverse the bureau decision (see 1703170035).

A group of net neutrality supporters engaged in a silent protest “walk-out” from Thursday’s FCC commissioners' meeting during remarks by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on contraband cellphones. The dozen or so protesters abruptly stood up from the audience as Clyburn spoke, all wearing white T-shirts that said “Protect Net Neutrality.” They then left the meeting room, escorted by security. The protesters were representatives from Free Press, Popular Resistance OpenMedia, Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press and Demand Progress, said a tweet from Free Press Campaign Director Candace Clement. In a video that Clement linked on Popular Resistance’s Facebook page, one of the protesters describes the walk-out as “an action to let the FCC know the movement is watching and a campaign is beginning to protect net neutrality.” The protesters didn’t interrupt Thursday’s meeting, which continued as they were escorted out. Also Thursday, the Senate OK'ed an override of FCC net neutrality privacy rules (see 1703230070).

Sprint urged the FCC to reject incumbent telco business data service proposals "and the dramatic price increases" they would spark, and instead adopt a BDS order "built on the consensus developed" after the commission issued an order and Further NPRM last May. Sprint submitted a detailed response at the FCC to the recent deregulatory BDS proposals of AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier Communications (see 1703140046 and 1703210017). "There is no lawful basis for the Commission to accept these ILECs’ efforts to remove protections for the thousands of American businesses around the nation that buy dedicated broadband services," said the Sprint filing posted Thursday in docket 05-25. "At a minimum, if the Commission is considering a new proposal similar to the plans proposed by these ILECs, which would represent a fundamental course reversal, it must reveal its reasoning, conduct a new economic analysis that supports such a dramatic change, publish the details of its new proposal, and give the public an opportunity for notice and comment." Incompas emailed that it "agrees with Sprint that AT&T’s and CenturyLink/Frontier’s latest proposals for BDS will further rig the market for incumbents. The consequences of the proposals are undeniable. Small businesses, healthcare facilities, schools and libraries will end up paying more for BDS if they are adopted. In addition to raising prices and harming competition, investment in 5G infrastructure will be reduced. As the referee, the Commission must call the fouls when they see them." AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier didn't comment.

T-Mobile representatives met with aides to all commissioners to argue the FCC is on the right track in its post-TV incentive auction transition plan. NAB essentially seeks a do-over on key aspects of the plan (see 1703170055), which may get some FCC support (see 1703220074). “The post-Incentive Auction Transition Plan allots sufficient time to accomplish the dual policy objectives of repurposing spectrum for wireless broadband use while ensuring continued vitality of the television broadcast industry,” T-Mobile said in a filing in docket 12-268. “As reflected in the record in the proceedings before the Commission and the Media Bureau, there are ample resources ready to be put into use, with more resources ready to come online as the market demand ramps up over the first 18-months of the transition.”

AT&T landline employees returned to work Thursday -- one day after walking off -- because the company committed to stop requiring “technicians to perform work assignments outside of their expertise and classification,” Communications Workers of America said in a news release. About 17,000 CWA workers in California and Nevada went on grievance strike and picketed call centers and offices over what they said is a recent AT&T practice of shifting the duties of the higher-paid systems technician to the lower-paid premises technician without appropriate compensation (see 1703220055). The carrier “engaged in discussion with the union to get these employees back to work as soon as possible,” a spokesman said. "We honor all of our agreements and the settlement reached clarified some work processes on assignments for a group of technicians." The telco and union still must come to terms on a new contract to replace the one that expired last April. “We went on strike to demonstrate to the country that we will not do more work for less pay, especially when it puts us in a position not to deliver the best possible service,” said Robert Longer, a Sacramento-based AT&T technician and CWA local official.