Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Announces Communications Status Report for Storms Marco & Laura, FCC Reminds of Deadline for Nominations to Chairman’s Accessibility Awards, Hawaii Further Extends Prohibition On Disconnects/Late Fees During COVID-19

FCC Announces Communications Status Report for Storms Marco & Laura

In a Public Notice, the FCC released a report on the status of communications services in geographic areas impacted by Tropical Storm Marco and Hurricane Laura as of August 27, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The report incorporates network outage data submitted by communications providers to the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS).

911 Services

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) learns the status of each PSAP through the filings of 911 Service Providers in DIRS, reporting to the FCC’s Public Safety Support Center, coordination with state 911 Administrators and, if necessary, direct contact with individual PSAPs.

• • Louisiana: Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office and Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office have their 911 calls rerouted.  These PSAPs have been evacuated.
  • Texas: Pinehurst Police Department has its 911 calls rerouted.  This PSAP has been evacuated.

Wireless Services

The Report also detailed the status of wireless communications services and restoration in the disaster area, including the percentage of cell sites out of service for each county.

FCC Reminds of Deadline for Nominations to Chairman’s Accessibility Awards

The FCC is reminding everyone that it is inviting nominations for the Chairman's Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman's AAA).  Nominations are due by the end of day, September 4, 2020.

This year, the 2020 Chairman's AAA is open to any individual who has worked in the public or private sector and made lasting and impactful contributions to the advancement of accessible communications technologies and services in the fields of policy, advocacy, research, and design.

Each nomination should include:

• The nominated individual’s name, current contact information and organization (if appropriate). 
• The name and contact information of the person submitting the nomination or a notation that the submission is a self-nomination. 
• An explanation of why the individual qualifies for the Chairman's AAA.
• A description of the nominee's work in support of accessibility in telecommunications and/or broadcast media.  Any documentation supporting this work (e.g., media reports, published materials) will help support the nomination. 
• A list of any specific efforts, products, policies or materials resulting from the nominee's work in this space.

Hawaii Further Extends Prohibition On Disconnects/Late Fees During COVID-19

The Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii (PUC) has extended its order prohibiting disconnections and other COVID-19 related consumer protections.  Specifically, until December 31, 2020, the Order continues: (1) the prohibition on disconnecting customers for nonpayment (but not due to public safety concerns unrelated to non-payment); and (2) the suspension of any and all rules and provisions of individual utility tariffs that prevent or condition reconnection of disconnected customers.  As before, the PUC encourages providers to: (1) offer payment plans or other reasonable arrangements to customers once the suspension of disconnections or terminations of service are lifted; and (2) refrain from charging customers interest on past due payments, or imposing any late payment fees though December 31, 2020.  The requirement continues to apply to LECs, IXCs, and wireless providers (including prepaid).   Inteserra  Briefing Service subscribers, see Briefing dated 8/26/20.

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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.