February 26, 2017–Six senators from Maine, New Hampshire, and New Mexico today urged the FCC to address the “unexpected recent surge” in requests that have depleted the fiscal 2016 $400 million budget for the Rural Health Care (RHC) program, saying that telehealth networks serving their constituents would be harmed if no more funding is available in the current funding year. Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine), Angus King (I., Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D., N.H.), Tom Udall (D., N.M.), and Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) asked the FCC “to take steps to leverage existing funding to avoid these reductions.”

Specifically, the senators urged the FCC to adopt a proposal recently submitted by the New England Telehealth Consortium, the Schools, Health & Libraries  Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, and others for the Commission to “establish a mechanism similar to that in the E-rate program to allow previously committed but unexpended RHC funds from prior years be made available for current applicants.” Continue reading →

February 24, 2017–The Trump administration and Congress should help ensure that next-generation 911 (NG-911) services become a reality, according to Brian Fontes, chief executive officer of the National Emergency Number Association. In a column today for “The Hill” newspaper, Mr. Fontes cited issues that have long plagued 911 deployment, including in fragmented leadership and policy and inadequate funding.

“Because 9-1-1 systems operated by local, county, regional or state authorities, a nationwide deployment of NG911 depends on educating, motivating and coordinating thousands of leaders at all levels. The federal government can and should be involved because public safety threats routinely cross state boundaries, and all Americans expect high-performing 9-1-1 services, no matter where they happen to live, work, or travel.” Mr. Fontes argued.

“The traditional revenue stream for 9-1-1 – state and local fees on landline phone service – has shrunk as more than half of U.S. households have gone wireless-only,” he said. “Making matters worse, states often redirect the 9-1-1 fees they do collect to other purposes. Nearly $250 million was siphoned away in 2014, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Continue reading →

February 22, 2017–PCS Partners L.P. has filed an application for review asking the FCC to review bureau orders rejecting the company’s request for a longer extension to complete construction of its M-LMS (multilateration location and monitoring service) licenses.

“In this matter, the agency followed an unprecedented, and ultimately arbitrary and unreasonable course: It proposed new service rules in recognition of the fact existing rules did not offer a viable path forward for any M-LMS licensees; extended all licensees’ deadlines to comply with the original rules, based on regulatory uncertainty and lack of equipment; abandoned its proposals to change the rules, without following its notice-and-comment procedures; and then informed PCS Partners, L.P. (‘PCSP’) that – because another M-LMS licensee had obtained waivers of the original rules in order to implement a proprietary technology not available to PCSP – regulatory uncertainty no longer existed, and PCSP would have just two additional years to satisfy its construction obligations,” said the application for review filed Feb. 17 in WT docket 12-202.  Continue reading →

February 22, 2017–Four public safety groups told the FCC today that they are concerned with an industry standard for dispatchable location (DL). In an ex parte filing in PS docket 07-114, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials, and the National Sheriff’s Association noted that the fourth report and order adopted by the FCC in 2015 in its 911 indoor location accuracy proceeding (TRDaily, Jan. 29, 2015) “defines DL as being ‘the verified or corroborated street address of the calling party plus additional information such as floor, suite, apartment, or similar information that may be needed to adequately identify the location of the calling party.’ We agree.”

The groups said that at a September 2016 quarterly meeting of the CTIA 911 Location Accuracy Advisory Group, attendees discussed DL standards development being overseen by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS). Continue reading →

February 22, 2017–FCC acting General Counsel Brendan Carr has told four Democratic members of the House that “there are a number of cases where the FCC has decided not to defend an order in court,” as it recently did with several aspects of the Commission’s 2015 inmate calling service (ICS) order.

Mr. Carr was responding to a recent letter from Reps. Bobby Rush (D., Ill.), Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), and G.K. Butterfield (D., N.C.), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D., D.C.), in which they expressed concern about “recent press reports that Chairman Ajit Pai has decided not to defend, in whole, the prison phone rate order previously issued by the Federal Communication Commission” and request information related to that decision, including any “previous cases in which the FCC has declined to defend one of its own orders in whole or in part” (TRDaily, Feb. 8).

In his response to the lawmakers, Mr. Carr said that new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai “made clear his belief” when the agency adopted its first ICS order in 2013 over the dissent of then Commissioner Pai that “the agency ‘must take action to meet our duties under the law, not to mention our obligations of conscience.’”  Continue reading →