New Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) rule changes to the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum band allow EBS licensees greater flexibility to lease, assign and transfer their licenses.[1] Most notably, the new rules eliminate the EBS educational eligibility restriction and allow EBS licensees to freely sell their EBS licenses to non-educational entities.[2] Despite these changes in […]

The Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Form 477, a semi-annual report on information collected about broadband connections to end-user locations, wired and wireless local telephone services, and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) services, must be submitted by March 1, 2022. This next report covers data collected from July 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Four […]

Telecommunications carriers, including interconnected VoIP providers, are required to establish and maintain systems designed to ensure they protect their subscribers’ Customer Proprietary Network Information (“CPNI”) and are required to file an annual CPNI compliance certification no later than Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (for data pertaining to the previous calendar year). If a telecommunications provider fails […]

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has announced that it is establishing the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan (“Accountability Plan”) for USF High Cost programs, including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The Accountability Plan expands the Universal Service Administrative Company’s (“USAC”) existing audit and verification processes, implementing a number of changes and enhancements to increase audits and […]

As a reminder, the ReConnect Phase 3 application window closes on February 22, 2022. Please see more information below from our previous e-mail. If you need assistance navigating this program, applying for funds or assistance with a legal opinion as part of the application, please contact Clare Andonov at [email protected], or Hilary Rosenthal at [email protected]. […]

(Filing Window Opens Monday, January 3, 2022) Wireless service providers (including de minimis wireless service providers) must file their annual Hearing Aid Compatibility Certifications with the FCC for the calendar year 2021 reporting period by January 31, 2022 (by midnight ET).  The filing window will open Monday, January 3, 2022[1]. The FCC Form 855 certification and instructions can be found here. Service providers […]

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Further Notice”) in which it proposes an Enhanced Competition Incentive Program (“ECIP”) meant to incentivize licensees to make spectrum available to small carriers and tribal nations.  Parties to a qualifying transaction would become eligible to participate in the program under one of two prongs: (1) […]

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (“RUS”) has recently announced that it is accepting applications for the third round of funding under the ReConnect Program.  Through this program, RUS provides funding through loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in underserved rural areas. The funds can be used for construction or […]

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has signed the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (“the Act”), which allocates $65 billion to broadband infrastructure programs.  These programs will be primarily administered by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), the Rural Utilities Service (“RUS”), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”). Specifically, the Act appropriates $14.2 billion […]

The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has issued a one-year waiver of the December 1, 2021 scheduled elimination of Lifeline support for voice-only service, until December 1, 2022.  In addition, the FCC has paused the scheduled increase in mobile broadband data capacity from 4.5 GB per month to 18 GB per month, until December 1, 2022.  The additional […]