California’s tribal land transfer policy (TLTP) doesn’t apply to wireless companies, CTIA said in Friday reply comments at the California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC is considering updates to the 2019 policy, which directs investor-owned utilities to give tribes notice and a right of first refusal in property sales, in docket 22-02-002. “Applying the TLTP to wireless providers could hinder investment and rapid deployment of 5G networks, and would advance none of the core goals of this proceeding,” wrote CTIA: And it’s unlawful. Extending the TLTP to all telecom carriers would conflict with previous CPUC decisions that exempted certain carriers, agreed Verizon.
The House Appropriations Committee voted 31-22 Friday night to advance the Financial Services Subcommittee’s FY 2023 bill with increases in annual funding for the FCC and FTC. The committee voted down Republicans’ bids to roll back a proposed substantial increase in FTC funding and altered a rider in the measure that removes an FCC barrier to broadcasters airing ads for cannabis products. The measure would allocate $490 million to the FTC, a 30% increase over what it received in the FY 2022 omnibus appropriations package (see 2203150076). The FY23 bill would give the FCC $390 million, up 2.3% from FY22.
NTIA awarded nine grants totaling more than $7.7 million through the tribal broadband connectivity program, said a news release Thursday (see 2205040034). The new funding will support education, healthcare and employment programs in six states. The Pawnee Nation College in Oklahoma received the greatest amount, nearly $2 million, to establish a "student technology grant and computer lab" on campus. The grants will "provide crucial resources to tribal communities working to ensure everyone can use the internet to attend classes, visit a doctor or run a business," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
President Joe Biden signed two pieces of cyber legislation into law Tuesday, the White House announced. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act (S-1097) establishes a federal rotational cyber workforce program. The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act (S-2520) directs the Department of Homeland Security to “increase collaboration with state, local, tribal and territorial governments on cybersecurity issues.”
The FCC will consider how to leverage Lifeline and the affordable connectivity program to better support survivors of domestic and sexual violence, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday, previewing the commissioners' July 14 meeting agenda. Survivors of domestic and sexual violence "uniquely rely on access to private communications" and face "unique challenges securing reliable phone and internet service," Rosenworcel wrote: The item under consideration will look to "ensure that survivors are able to communicate safely with abuse hotlines and shelters."
President Joe Biden signed two pieces of cyber legislation into law Tuesday, the White House announced. The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act (S-1097) establishes a federal rotational cyber workforce program. The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act (S-2520) directs the Department of Homeland Security to “increase collaboration with state, local, tribal and territorial governments on cybersecurity issues.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau granted NTCA's and AT&T's requests to waive some non-usage tracking rules for the affordable connectivity program, in an order Tuesday in docket 21-450. The bureau granted NTCA's request to let small providers track usage for households on tribal lands receiving a fully subsidized offering on a rolling 30-day basis until Sept. 15 and a retroactive waiver to Jan. 1 of the Lifeline usage tracking requirement for providers applying the Lifeline and ACP benefit to the same service if it results in a fully subsidized offering (see 2205270043). Providers must inform the Universal Service Administrative Co. of their intent to take advantage of the waiver within 30 days. The bureau also granted AT&T's request to waive the non-usage rules for its customers receiving fully subsidized plans that use asymmetric digital subscriber line technology until Aug. 13 (see 2205090056).
Smith Bagley asked the FCC to extend Lifeline's document requirements for reverification, recertification, general de-enrollment, and income for subscribers in rural areas on tribal lands, said a petition posted Thursday in docket 11-42. The Wireline Bureau previously extended its waiver of the requirements until June 30 (see 2203250065). Smith Bagley requested an extension through Sept. 30, saying "thousands of subscribers" are at risk of de-enrollment. Arizona's Department of Economic Security backed the extension and said the national verifier "lacks connectivity to critical program participation data" in the state. The department said "many Arizona families would lose their Lifeline-supported voice and broadband services" absent the extension.
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker of Mississippi and other panel Republicans criticized NTIA’s plans for rolling out its $48 billion share of broadband money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during a Thursday hearing with agency Administrator Alan Davidson, as expected (see 2206020070). Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and other panel Democrats delivered more positive, but not universally complimentary, reviews of NTIA’s work. There was significantly less focus on the agency’s government spectrum coordination role.
Facing the July 16 deadline for carriers and text providers to support routing 988 traffic to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, much of Lifeline's focus is making sure there's the capacity to handle that traffic, its administrator and its funder told an FCBA CLE Wednesday.