Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July Open Meeting, FCC Closes Filing Window for COVID-19 Telehealth Program

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for July Open Meeting

The FCC announced the tentative agenda for its July 16, 2020, Open Meeting.  The items are as follows:

• Designating 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – A Report and Order that would designate 988 as the 3-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to aid rapid access to suicide prevention and mental health support services.
• Call Blocking Rules – A Third Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration, and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would continue the Commission’s work to combat unwanted and illegal calls and implement portions of the TRACED Act.
• Secure Networks Act Implementation – A Declaratory Ruling and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would integrate provisions of the recently enacted Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 into its existing supply chain rulemaking proceeding.
• Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements – A Sixth Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration that would further its effort to improve vertical (or Z-Axis) location accuracy for wireless 911 calls, which will help first responders quickly locate people calling for help from multi-story buildings.
• Modernizing Priority Services Rules – A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would streamline and update its rules to ensure that priority service programs operate effectively for emergency workers as technology evolves.
• Leased Commercial Access – A Second Report that would modernize the leased access rate formula by adopting a tier-based calculation.
• Improving Broadband Data and Maps – A Second Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would establish requirements to ensure that the Commission collects accurate and granular data on the availability of broadband service through the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, and would seek comment on additional measures to implement the requirements of the Broadband DATA Act.

FCC Closes Filing Window for COVID-19 Telehealth Program

The FCC announced it will no longer accept new applications for funding from the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (Program).  It said that, based on the applications received to date, demand for funding exceeds available Program funds and, as a result, the public interest is not served by imposing burdens on health care providers who may prepare new applications that cannot be funded under the current appropriation.  As of June 24, 2020, the FCC has issued $157.64 million in total Program funding commitments for 444 applications.  It anticipates that funding requests in applications already received will exhaust the remaining Program appropriation.  Therefore, continuing to consider applications would impose unnecessary burdens on health care providers who may be preparing applications that will not be considered before the Program funds are exhausted.

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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.