Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, raised concerns about coordination between the FCC and U.S. Department of Agriculture during a House Oversight Committee hearing last week on GAO’s 2016 duplication report. “The GAO report on tribal Internet access noted a lack of coordination between the FCC and USDA in their efforts to increase Internet access on tribal lands,” Hurd told witnesses, asking about the risk of duplication. “One of the challenges we saw there was they were not doing coordinated training,” replied GAO Managing Director-Physical Infrastructure Phillip Herr. He said the FCC had concurred with the report, which GAO issued last year. “We’ll be following up with them this year,” Herr said. “Hopefully, they’re taking some steps forward.” But he saw potential for problems. “Is this lack of coordination creating a risk” that FCC and USDA are “going to offer conflicting advice to folks seeking to increase the access on their lands?” Hurd asked Herr. Herr didn’t rule it out: “I think it’s possible, yes.”

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will tour communities around the country to learn more about efforts to bring "robust, affordable communications services to all Americans," an agency release said Thursday. Clyburn will conduct her Connecting Communities: Bridging the Communications and Opportunities Divide Tour over the next several months and will tweet highlights under the hashtag #ConnectingCommunities. "This is a unique opportunity to gain new insights and ensure that the FCC hears a wide range of perspectives, including the many voices that often go unheard," she said. Clyburn plans to visit rural and urban communities, tribal lands, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities and 911 call centers, and to meet with "startups, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and providers of all sizes." When the tour is finished, she plans to deliver a "major policy speech" in the fall on her observations and outline policies she's pushing to improve communications access.

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will tour communities around the country to learn more about efforts to bring "robust, affordable communications services to all Americans," an agency release said Thursday. Clyburn will conduct her Connecting Communities: Bridging the Communications and Opportunities Divide Tour over the next several months and will tweet highlights under the hashtag #ConnectingCommunities. "This is a unique opportunity to gain new insights and ensure that the FCC hears a wide range of perspectives, including the many voices that often go unheard," she said. Clyburn plans to visit rural and urban communities, tribal lands, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities and 911 call centers, and to meet with "startups, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and providers of all sizes." When the tour is finished, she plans to deliver a "major policy speech" in the fall on her observations and outline policies she's pushing to improve communications access.

A key Senate Republican appropriator slammed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Tuesday for sidestepping congressional intent and privately going against his word. Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., focused on both the issue of prohibiting broadband rate regulation and on allowing the grandfathering of broadcaster joint sales agreements, the subject of two appropriations policy riders last year and both issues that Boozman suggested he may revisit in riders this year. The FCC has now supplied Congress with draft legislative language addressing rate regulation, a spokeswoman confirmed.

A key Senate Republican appropriator slammed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Tuesday for sidestepping congressional intent and privately going against his word. Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., focused on both the issue of prohibiting broadband rate regulation and on allowing the grandfathering of broadcaster joint sales agreements, the subject of two appropriations policy riders last year and both issues that Boozman suggested he may revisit in riders this year. The FCC has now supplied Congress with draft legislative language addressing rate regulation, a spokeswoman confirmed.

The FCC voted 3-2 to approve a Lifeline modernization order that extends USF low-income subsidies to broadband service and streamlines the program's administration. But the agency didn't act until after its Thursday meeting was delayed three times, an attempted -- or apparent -- budget compromise collapsed, and Republicans dissented and cried foul. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly suggested personal relations had been "irreparably" harmed because the Democrats "will misrepresent, cut corners and welch on deals." Asked about certain Republican charges, Chairman Tom Wheeler said, "Balderdash."

The FCC voted 3-2 to approve a Lifeline modernization order that extends USF low-income subsidies to broadband service and streamlines the program's administration. But the agency didn't act until after its Thursday meeting was delayed three times, an attempted -- or apparent -- budget compromise collapsed, and Republicans dissented and cried foul. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly suggested personal relations had been "irreparably" harmed because the Democrats "will misrepresent, cut corners and welch on deals." Asked about certain Republican charges, Chairman Tom Wheeler said, "Balderdash."

The FCC revamped rate-of-return USF support mechanisms for the broadband era, in a 249-page order and Further NPRM released late Wednesday, with Commissioner Ajit Pai partially dissenting and partially concurring. The order gives rate-of-return telcos the option of receiving rural high-cost USF subsidies based on a broadband cost model over 10 years, which will be supplemented by $150 million in additional annual funding from existing USF reserves. For carriers not opting in to the model-based approach, the order updates a legacy mechanism -- renamed Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS) -- to fund stand-alone broadband service to customers, which was a major driver of the reform effort. The changes include measures and incentives to spark greater broadband deployment, the order said.

The FCC revamped rate-of-return USF support mechanisms for the broadband era, in a 249-page order and Further NPRM released late Wednesday, with Commissioner Ajit Pai partially dissenting and partially concurring. The order gives rate-of-return telcos the option of receiving rural high-cost USF subsidies based on a broadband cost model over 10 years, which will be supplemented by $150 million in additional annual funding from existing USF reserves. For carriers not opting in to the model-based approach, the order updates a legacy mechanism -- renamed Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS) -- to fund stand-alone broadband service to customers, which was a major driver of the reform effort. The changes include measures and incentives to spark greater broadband deployment, the order said.

A proposed rate-of-return overhaul order from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler “sets forth a package of reforms to address rate-of-return issues that are fundamentally intertwined -- the need to modernize the program to provide support for stand-alone broadband service; the need to improve incentives for broadband investment to connect unserved rural Americans; and the need to strengthen the rate-of-return system to provide certainty and stability for years to come,” Wheeler told House Democrats in a March 21 letter released Tuesday. “A Further Notice included with the order would specifically seek comment on additional reforms, including the Tribal Broadband Factor proposal you reference in your letter, to further incentivize broadband investment and deployment on unserved and underserved Tribal lands.” Wheeler said he'll “take action before the end of the year” on the issue, once the FCC has a full record. Wheeler wrote a separate reply to Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who had pushed the agency to address stand-alone broadband last year. “The proposed Order would create an entirely voluntary path for rate-of-return carriers that prefer the predictability of defined support amounts over a ten-year term,” Wheeler told Cramer. “Similar to the approach that has successfully spurred development by larger ‘price-cap’ carriers, this model-based support comes with defined milestones for efficient, accountable deployment.” He also told Cramer the proposed order contains the principles of the Walden Rule, “that we should limit the use of ratepayer funds to support service in an area that is served by an unsubsidized Internet provider,” he said.