Today's Regulatory Mix:  FCC Chairman Reports on Network Performance During COVID-19, FCC Waives Tariff Rules for Rural Broadband and Phone Providers , FCC Adopts COVID-19 Telehealth Program 

FCC Chairman Reports on Network Performance During COVID-19   

FCC Chairman Pai announced he had spoken with broadband and telephone service providers and trade association leaders about the state of American communications networks as volume and usage patterns shift during the coronavirus pandemic. The Chairman heard from providers across the country who reported network usage had risen about 20-35% for fixed networks and 10-20% for cellular networks in recent weeks, with increased demand in suburban, exurban, and residential areas and during daytime hours. In general, company representatives reported that their networks were holding up quite well, and they expected that resilience to continue. 

The Chairman also reported that no providers expressed concern about their networks’ ability to hold up to increased and changing demand. Operators cited a general migration of traffic to suburban, exurban, and residential areas as more people work, learn, and access services from home during the pandemic. They said they would continue to monitor hotspots to be ready for any issues and proactively increase capacity in case peak traffic rises unexpectedly. There was strong confidence in how well the network backbone was meeting the needs of increased demand. Companies have seen some spikes in new customers signing up for services and an increased reliance on phone calls—with some calling traditional voice service the “new killer app.” Chairman Pai thanked trade association leaders for reporting helpful, nationwide data on their websites, carriers for providing this data, and broadband and telephone service providers for taking his Keep America Connected Pledge.  

It appears that our nation’s communications networks are holding up very well amid the increase in traffic and change in usage patterns. That’s thanks in part to networks being designed to handle ever-higher peak traffic loads and in part to a market-based regulatory framework that has promoted infrastructure investment and deployment. That said, we will continue to closely monitor the situation,” said Chairman Pai. “I thank these companies for finding ways to meet changing demand and working with us to keep Americans connected. I also heard about how the FCC’s recent actions have helped companies serve their consumers, such as granting additional spectrum capacity for wireless networks. I also want to thank communications workers who are on the front lines for their efforts in helping Americans get connected, stay connected, and troubleshoot any problems during these challenging times.” 

FCC Waives Tariff Rules for Rural Broadband and Phone Providers  

The FCC announced that it had waived its rules as needed to allow hundreds of rural phone and broadband providers to waive fees that would otherwise be incurred by customers experiencing economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include late payment fees as well as installation and cancellation fees for consumers signing up for, or looking to switch providers of, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) broadband services in order to work from home or access remote learning.  Specifically, the FCC approved waiver requests that allowed the National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) and John Staurulakis, Inc. (JSI) to implement the tariff revisions waiving late payment penalties, installation and early cancellation fees effective April 1, 2020.  

“We need to remove regulatory hurdles wherever we can to help consumers stay connected during this national emergency,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “With these waivers of our tariffing rules, we’re doing exactly that. I’m glad to enable these rate-of-return carriers to waive late payment fees and allow consumers to purchase and cancel DSL service without having to pay installation and termination fees. We hope that this relief will help keep rural 

Americans connected during the coronavirus pandemic.” 

FCC Adopts COVID-19 Telehealth Program 

The FCC voted to adopt a $200 million telehealth program to support healthcare providers responding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Congress appropriated the funds as part of the CARES Act. Through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, the FCC will help healthcare providers purchase telecommunications, broadband connectivity, and devices necessary for providing telehealth services. Funding applications from healthcare providers will be processed on a rolling basis. 

The FCC also adopted final rules to stand up a Connected Care Pilot Program. This separate three-year Pilot Program will provide up to $100 million of support from the Universal Service Fund (USF) to help defray health care providers’ costs of providing connected care services and to help assess how the USF can be used in the long-term to support telehealth. 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai issued a statement saying, in part: “Our nation’s healthcare providers need us more than ever, and we at the FCC are answering the call. With the adoption of the $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program, the FCC can now take immediate steps to provide funding so that more patients can be treated at home, freeing up valuable hospital beds for those who most need them and reducing the risk of exposure to the virus.” 

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.