FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly renewed calls to prohibit E-rate funds to schools and libraries that receive broadband service from one provider when another has already received USF dollars at the same location. "It's awful enough when the government subsidizes network builds in areas where the private sector can or does provide service, but it's a separate layer of hell when E-rate money goes to an area already being subsidized by the FCC," O'Rielly told an FCBA USF seminar. O'Rielly has corresponded with school superintendents and consortium leaders in Texas and Arizona about their plans to build self-provisioned wide-area networks that would overbuild a local incumbent's fiber facilities. "I have never been presented with credible evidence that E-Rate funded overbuilding has been anything other than wasteful for the USF," he said, citing "copious evidence of bidding matrices designed to favor a particular outcome and schools buying far more bandwidth than they use or need."

Most residential multi-tenant environments have more than one broadband provider, so the FCC should reject "baseless calls by some commenters for further regulation," NCTA replied as such filings posted through Tuesday on docket 17-142. Rules here should apply equally to all providers that service MTEs and in all parts of the MTE on a competitively and technologically neutral basis, NCTA added. "At most require that exclusive marketing agreements include a disclaimer that the agreement is not an exclusive access agreement," Verizon said. T-Mobile said the FCC should prohibit wireless carriers from signing restrictive arrangements with MTEs, and such protections should be extended anywhere "large numbers of wireless customers congregate," such as stadiums. Incompas called exclusive commercial arrangements "a pervasive problem that the commission must address."

Most residential multi-tenant environments have more than one broadband provider, so the FCC should reject "baseless calls by some commenters for further regulation," NCTA replied as such filings posted through Tuesday on docket 17-142. Rules here should apply equally to all providers that service MTEs and in all parts of the MTE on a competitively and technologically neutral basis, NCTA added. "At most require that exclusive marketing agreements include a disclaimer that the agreement is not an exclusive access agreement," Verizon said. T-Mobile said the FCC should prohibit wireless carriers from signing restrictive arrangements with MTEs, and such protections should be extended anywhere "large numbers of wireless customers congregate," such as stadiums. Incompas called exclusive commercial arrangements "a pervasive problem that the commission must address."

Rural broadband providers want the FCC to update or clarify eligibility requirements for applicants in its upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auctions to award up to $20 billion in USF dollars to companies that can deliver high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved parts of rural America (see 1908010060). In comments posted through Monday on docket 19-126, industry groups differed on whether and how to expand the pool of applicants that could receive the federal funding to deliver high-speed internet service to remote communities.

Rural broadband providers want the FCC to update or clarify eligibility requirements for applicants in its upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auctions to award up to $20 billion in USF dollars to companies that can deliver high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved parts of rural America (see 1908010060). In comments posted through Monday on docket 19-126, industry groups differed on whether and how to expand the pool of applicants that could receive the federal funding to deliver high-speed internet service to remote communities.

Industry and others should take many steps to ensure phone customers are aware of call blocking options, an FCC advisory panel recommended. At Monday's Consumer Advisory Committee meeting, CAC members unanimously approved the recommendations to the commission (see 1909160019). Text was released Wednesday in docket 17-59. People should get "blocked call information where consumers customarily view information about the call-blocking and labeling service," such as in wireless and wireline customers' online account information, the proposal said. "Consumers should have options to manage robocall blocking preferences, such as through a customer portal, in-store, by phone, or other choices." Customer service personnel should be trained to help, the committee said. "Providers should maintain a webpage that includes information about opt-out blocking and labeling tools, clearly explaining to consumers the robocall-related services provided, which calls are blocked, and how to opt in and out. The service should be provided at no additional line-item charge." Don't forget traditional wireline service, CAC suggested. "Explore potential means to protect legacy copper line customers from illegal robocalls," it asked of telcos. "The FCC should continue to directly collaborate with consumer advocacy groups and industry to educate consumers on the options for and risks of various methods of combatting robocalls." Stakeholders should together consider "public service ad campaigns, possibly including a celebrity spokesperson, to educate and alert consumers to the efforts of government and industry to tackle the robocall epidemic, and to educate and alert consumers to the robocall-blocking options," the group said. The agency seeks default call blocking services to be free, an agency spokesperson confirmed. FCC representatives wouldn't say whether CAC wants the same. “NCTA voted in favor of the recommendation" by CAC, emailed a spokesperson for the association. "We appreciate all the hard work of the ... committee in developing it.” The Competitive Carriers Association, amid its conference in Providence, Rhode Island (see 1909180061), declined to comment. America's Communications Association backed the declaratory ruling allowing "robocall blocking, including popular third-party robocall blocking tools, on an opt-out basis," an ACA spokesperson emailed. It hopes "CAC’s recommendations will provide helpful guidance to voice providers in deploying opt-out call blocking that protects their customers from the torrent of unwanted and illegal robocalls.” Incompas declined to comment, while USTelecom said it didn't have a comment right away.

Industry and others should take many steps to ensure phone customers are aware of call blocking options, an FCC advisory panel recommended. At Monday's Consumer Advisory Committee meeting, CAC members unanimously approved the recommendations to the commission (see 1909160019). Text was released Wednesday in docket 17-59. People should get "blocked call information where consumers customarily view information about the call-blocking and labeling service," such as in wireless and wireline customers' online account information, the proposal said. "Consumers should have options to manage robocall blocking preferences, such as through a customer portal, in-store, by phone, or other choices." Customer service personnel should be trained to help, the committee said. "Providers should maintain a webpage that includes information about opt-out blocking and labeling tools, clearly explaining to consumers the robocall-related services provided, which calls are blocked, and how to opt in and out. The service should be provided at no additional line-item charge." Don't forget traditional wireline service, CAC suggested. "Explore potential means to protect legacy copper line customers from illegal robocalls," it asked of telcos. "The FCC should continue to directly collaborate with consumer advocacy groups and industry to educate consumers on the options for and risks of various methods of combatting robocalls." Stakeholders should together consider "public service ad campaigns, possibly including a celebrity spokesperson, to educate and alert consumers to the efforts of government and industry to tackle the robocall epidemic, and to educate and alert consumers to the robocall-blocking options," the group said. The agency seeks default call blocking services to be free, an agency spokesperson confirmed. FCC representatives wouldn't say whether CAC wants the same. “NCTA voted in favor of the recommendation" by CAC, emailed a spokesperson for the association. "We appreciate all the hard work of the ... committee in developing it.” The Competitive Carriers Association, amid its conference in Providence, Rhode Island (see 1909180061), declined to comment. America's Communications Association backed the declaratory ruling allowing "robocall blocking, including popular third-party robocall blocking tools, on an opt-out basis," an ACA spokesperson emailed. It hopes "CAC’s recommendations will provide helpful guidance to voice providers in deploying opt-out call blocking that protects their customers from the torrent of unwanted and illegal robocalls.” Incompas declined to comment, while USTelecom said it didn't have a comment right away.

Stakeholders disagree if the FCC should draft new regulations on multi-tenant environment competing broadband services. NPRM comments posted through Tuesday in docket 17-142 (see 1907110015). San Francisco said competing broadband providers can be discouraged from building networks in certain markets or neighborhoods if they can't expect to serve MTE tenants. It wants the FCC to strengthen its prohibition of anti-competitive agreements, such as exclusive wiring arrangements, revenue-sharing agreements, and sale-and-lease-back deals. CenturyLink has seen "worrisome and growing trends" in its attempts to serve MTE residents. It said landlords increasingly sought to monetize access, and when those costs were too high, CenturyLink rejected tenants' request for service. NCTA said cable providers spent hundreds of billions of dollars in the past 20 years deploying broadband, so "be careful not to disrupt the marketplace." Doing so could undermine investment in broadband and video to MTEs, the group said. Without assured access to local MTEs, some competitors may avoid an area, Incompas said. Access "is a significant economic factor for firms in determining their ability to deliver competitive broadband networks to areas that are lacking broadband choice," it said. The association noted mandatory access laws in the San Francisco area allowed fiber provider Sonic to gain entry to over 1,000 buildings to deploy gigabit service. Crown Castle said prohibiting revenue-sharing arrangements could slow broadband deployment because building owners would have less incentive to allow infrastructure installation. "Because many MTEs do not want to deal with carriers directly or negotiate agreements on a carrier-by-carrier basis, they engage experienced neutral host operators to manage and maintain installations of facilities that permit the provision of broadband services," it said. As broadband becomes increasingly wireless, the FCC should "expand its assessment of where broadband services are consumed and the infrastructure needed to deliver them," recommended T-Mobile. The FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee developed a state model code that could inform rules, Uniti Fiber said. RealtyCom Partners opposed a further rulemaking on arrangements between landlords and telecom providers because "the market is functioning well." The National Multifamily Housing Council, with other real estate associations, opposed new regulation as unnecessary and unwise.

Broadband providers disagree whether and how the FCC should draft new regulations on how occupants of apartment buildings, malls and other multi-tenant environments access competing broadband services. Proponents of broadband competition want the FCC to allow states and municipalities more flexibility in oversight of agreements between landlords and communications providers. Comments on an NPRM posted through Tuesday in docket 17-142 (see 1908300058).

Size matters when considering safe harbor protections for voice service providers' blocking of robocalls. Parties squared off before the FCC about how broad or narrow such protections should be in docket 17-59 replies posted through Friday. There's disagreement on creation of a critical calls list. Some questioned the need for a secure handling of asserted information using tokens (Shaken) and secure telephone identity revisited (Stir) mandate since industry is implementing it fine.