NTIA received and is reviewing more than 280 applications seeking more than $5 billion in funding for the tribal broadband connectivity program, it said Wednesday. The $980 million program is "an important step forward in closing the digital divide for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities, but it will take an even greater investment to help fully connect every person," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The House Education Committee proposes to more than $41 million for the Bureau of Indian Education to pay for “digital infrastructure to improve access to high-speed broadband sufficient for digital learning and related” BIE “digital infrastructure activities or programs” in its portion of the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation package, it said Wednesday. The committee said it will begin marking up the measure at noon EDT Thursday. The House and Senate Commerce committees are grappling with what money to propose including for telecom priorities in reconciliation. Senate Commerce eyed up to $45 billion for broadband and next-generation 911 (see 2109020072). House Commerce is expected to mark up its reconciliation portion beginning Monday.

FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the several items that she and her colleagues tentatively will vote on Sept. 30. They include public-safety spectrum and 911 issues, plus paving the way for more robust Wi-Fi and cracking down further on some robocalls, she blogged Wednesday afternoon. The drafts will be released Thursday, a spokesperson told us. Our earlier news bulletin is here.

California Public Utilities Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves worries about the cable industry creating “false problems” that distract legislators from efforts to update the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), she said in an interview. With CASF bills expected to be up for floor votes in days, California Cable & Telecommunications Association (CCTA) President Carolyn McIntyre blogged Friday that the legislature should force the commission to prioritize the most unserved areas (see 2109030065) as it considers how to direct broadband funding from a $6 billion bill. Some phone companies agreed with cable concerns, in Friday comments.

FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced what she and her colleagues will vote on Sept. 30. They include public-safety spectrum and 911 issues, plus paving the way for more robust Wi-Fi and cracking down further on some robocalls, she blogged Wednesday afternoon. The drafts will be released Thursday, a spokesperson told us.

The FCC extended from Friday to Sept. 27 the deadline to submit applications to fill tribal vacancies on the Native Nations Communications Task Force. “Elected leaders from federally recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities” are eligible, said a notice listed in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. They will serve through October 2022 when its term expires.

The FCC extended from Friday to Sept. 27 the deadline to submit applications to fill tribal vacancies on the Native Nations Communications Task Force. “Elected leaders from federally recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities” are eligible, said a notice listed in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. They will serve through October 2022 when its term expires.

The FCC Wireless Bureau granted six licenses to tribes in Alaska to use the 2.5 GHz band for broadband. That brings to 270 the number of licenses granted to tribal entities, the FCC said Monday.

The FCC should reconsider its relaxed rules for ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission systems and instead adopt an expedited waiver process, said Microsoft in reply comments Friday in docket 20-74 (see 2108040076). NAB and America’s Public Television Stations didn’t push back on Microsoft’s arguments that an expansion of DTS would hurt unlicensed use of the TV bands, but they “embrace that outcome as a victory in eliminating a perceived ‘constrain[t]’ on their business objectives,” Microsoft said. “Their response is that they are happy with the apparently unintended outcome of expanded coverage and that any harm to unlicensed operations is unimportant,” Microsoft said. NAB and APTS’ response “confirms that the Commission erred” in the original order, Microsoft said. “The soundest approach to permit the further expansion of a broadcast station’s DTS signal beyond its maximum facility is through a targeted expedited-waiver process.” The FCC’s original decision “failed to account for the vast harms imposed on TV White Spaces and the public interest,” said the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge and Tribal Digital Village in joint reply comments in docket 20-74. “The ability of several rural, Tribal, and other hard-to-serve communities nationwide to procure broadband networks depends on the Commission getting this policy right."

Inmate calling service providers rejected proposed California limits on intrastate rates and some fees. The California Public Utilities Commission received comments Monday on an interim order, up for a possible Aug. 19 vote, that would include a cap of 7 cents per minute on intrastate rates for debit, prepaid and collect calls (see 2107130047). Consumer groups supported the plan and urged the CPUC to next seek ways to reduce video call and text-messaging costs. Also, the CPUC teed up implementation of the state’s $6 billion broadband law.