TracFone resisted AT&T Lifeline proposals for the FCC to overhaul the USF support program for low-income consumers. TracFone opposed AT&T suggestions that carriers be removed from all Lifeline enrollment functions and that eligibility be initially tied solely to the federal food stamps program, which TracFone said would have a “devastating impact on Lifeline availability.” The comments came in a response posted Tuesday to a Nov. 23 AT&T filing flowing from an NPRM (see 1506180029). Other parties filing recently in docket 11-42 included the Cherokee Nation, Incompas, Lifeline Connects Coalition and Smith Bagley, with many comments addressing proposed minimum service standards for Lifeline broadband/voice coverage.

FirstNet Director-State Consultation Dave Buchanan said Tuesday the authority's consultation program will drive toward three goals in 2016, as the FirstNet committee held discussions leading to a meeting of the full board Wednesday. The goals include expanding outreach and getting more input on network policies and processes, he said. FirstNet is also concerned about getting state officials ready to make their decisions about whether to participate, he said.

Oklahoma public safety stakeholders, including representatives from all 77 counties, met for the state's initial consultation with FirstNet, said a blog post from FirstNet. Oklahoma's single point of contact Ben Gherezgiher explained the Oklahoma Public Safety Broadband Network project objectives and discussed its accomplishments on data gathering, coverage reviews and tribal engagement, the post said. The state’s outreach and education activities also were discussed. Leading up to the initial consultation meeting, Oklahoma had held 26 outreach sessions across the state and hosted a tribal webinar, in addition to attending and presenting at numerous public safety and emergency management-focused conferences, FirstNet said. Through surveys sent out to more than 10,000 public safety entities throughout the state, Oklahoma gathered valuable data on topics such as plan pricing, barriers to adoption and phased build-out, FirstNet said. The next steps are to continue outreach and education, data gathering, tribal engagement and coverage reviews while evolving the state’s governance structure to prepare for FirstNet, the post said.

Oklahoma public safety stakeholders, including representatives from all 77 counties, met for the state's initial consultation with FirstNet, said a blog post from FirstNet. Oklahoma's single point of contact Ben Gherezgiher explained the Oklahoma Public Safety Broadband Network project objectives and discussed its accomplishments on data gathering, coverage reviews and tribal engagement, the post said. The state’s outreach and education activities also were discussed. Leading up to the initial consultation meeting, Oklahoma had held 26 outreach sessions across the state and hosted a tribal webinar, in addition to attending and presenting at numerous public safety and emergency management-focused conferences, FirstNet said. Through surveys sent out to more than 10,000 public safety entities throughout the state, Oklahoma gathered valuable data on topics such as plan pricing, barriers to adoption and phased build-out, FirstNet said. The next steps are to continue outreach and education, data gathering, tribal engagement and coverage reviews while evolving the state’s governance structure to prepare for FirstNet, the post said.

The FCC said its Oklahoma tribal guidance for Lifeline USF shouldn't be stayed, pending further review. In a June order, the commission announced that effective Feb. 9, it will view an 1870-1890 historical map of Oklahoma, "which is the most accurate available representation" of former tribal boundaries in the state, as the basis for identifying former reservations, while continuing to consult with Oklahoma tribal nations on the map, said the FCC's opposition to the partial stay request of Assist Wireless in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (Assist Wireless v. FCC, No. 15-1324). Petitioners don't "challenge the substance of the FCC’s interpretive guidance or the accuracy of the Oklahoma Historical Map; they instead challenge the Order on procedural grounds only," the FCC said. "But Petitioners’ legal arguments are insubstantial, and they have not shown that they are likely to prevail. Nor have they demonstrated that allowing the FCC’s interpretive rule to go into effect as planned would cause them any irreparable injury. And delaying implementation of this guidance would only harm the public by allowing public funds to subsidize areas that should not be eligible for enhanced Tribal Lifeline benefits." Carriers receive a higher monthly subsidy ($34.25) for serving low-income Lifeline users in tribal areas across the country, including former tribal areas in Oklahoma, than for serving those in other areas ($9.25).

The California broadband workshop NTIA hosted last week (see 1511170062) underscored that while the state has made progress, there's still work to be done to close the digital divide, said a blog post from NTIA. Even with companies headquartered in the state -- Apple, Google and Intel, for example -- there remain remote areas with tribal lands that lack basic communications infrastructure and desert towns where students don't have Internet access to complete their homework, it said Thursday. Comprehensive mapping data from the California Public Utilities Commission shows 98 percent of urban households in the state have access to wired broadband speeds of at least 6 Mbps downstream, but that number drops to just 43 percent for rural households, NTIA said. The commission said the limited reliability of wireless service in many rural areas means wireless connections rarely fill the gap.

The California broadband workshop NTIA hosted last week (see 1511170062) underscored that while the state has made progress, there's still work to be done to close the digital divide, said a blog post from NTIA. Even with companies headquartered in the state -- Apple, Google and Intel, for example -- there remain remote areas with tribal lands that lack basic communications infrastructure and desert towns where students don't have Internet access to complete their homework, it said Thursday. Comprehensive mapping data from the California Public Utilities Commission shows 98 percent of urban households in the state have access to wired broadband speeds of at least 6 Mbps downstream, but that number drops to just 43 percent for rural households, NTIA said. The commission said the limited reliability of wireless service in many rural areas means wireless connections rarely fill the gap.

There's no digital mapping information about the Oklahoma historical map, which the FCC recently adopted as a way to distinguish between tribal and nontribal lands in the state, said the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in an ex parte filing with the federal agency posted Wednesday in docket 09-197. The Feb. 9 deadline doesn't provide enough time to alert affected customers of a coming change in Lifeline support, said OCC. To remedy the situation, it recommends the FCC extend the effective date to 90 days from the date digital mapping information is made available to those affected parties. The boundary changes will result in a 73 percent reduction in Lifeline support -- from $34.25 per month to $9.25 per month -- for a "considerable number" of program customers, the OCC said.

There's no digital mapping information about the Oklahoma historical map, which the FCC recently adopted as a way to distinguish between tribal and nontribal lands in the state, said the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in an ex parte filing with the federal agency posted Wednesday in docket 09-197. The Feb. 9 deadline doesn't provide enough time to alert affected customers of a coming change in Lifeline support, said OCC. To remedy the situation, it recommends the FCC extend the effective date to 90 days from the date digital mapping information is made available to those affected parties. The boundary changes will result in a 73 percent reduction in Lifeline support -- from $34.25 per month to $9.25 per month -- for a "considerable number" of program customers, the OCC said.

For FirstNet to succeed in Michigan, it’s important to have teamwork among all public safety entities and it’s imperative that cybersecurity concerns be addressed, stakeholders said at the state’s Initial Consultation Meeting with FirstNet earlier this year, FirstNet said in a blog post. More than 100 stakeholders from local, state and tribal entities in Michigan met in East Lansing. For the purpose of outreach, Michigan maintains ongoing involvement with a number of organizations, including the APCO Broadband Committee, Michigan’s Public Safety Communications Interoperability Board, the National Association of State 911 Administrators, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council, the Public Safety Communications Research Program and the State 911 Committee, the post said.