Today's Regulatory Mix:  FCC Announces More Companies Signed on to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, FCC Rural Health Care Funding to Help With COVID-19, FCC Releases Form 477 Data 

FCC Announces More Companies Signed on to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge 

The FCC announced that 116 more broadband and telephone service providers have taken his Keep Americans Connected Pledge.  This means that 185 companies in total have now taken the Pledge.   New pledge-takers include Advanced Communications Technology, Agri-Valley Communications, Alaska Communications, Appalachian Wireless, ATMC, Ben Lomand Connect, BEVCOMM, Blackfoot Communications, Blanchard Telephone Company, Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative, Bloomingdale Communications, Blue Valley Tele-Communications, Bristol Bay Telephone Cooperative, Bruce Telephone Company, Bush-Tell, Cap Rock Telephone Cooperative, C Spire, Cellcom, Clear Lake Telephone Company, Cochrane Co-op Telephone, Coons Valley Farmers Telephone, Copper Valley Telecom, Cunningham Communications, Cunningham Telephone Company, D&P Communications, Dallas Network Services, DTC Communications, Dubois Telephone Exchange, EarthLink, , Emerald Broadband, Farmers Mutual Co-Op Phone Co, Ethoplex, Fatbeam, Garden Valley Technologies, GCI, Golden West Telecommunications, Granite State Communications, GRM Networks, Hancock Telephone Company, Hargray Communications, Hawaiian Telcom, Hiawatha Telephone Company, Highland Telephone Cooperative, Home Telecom, Hotwire Communications, Hughes, Industry Telephone Company, InterBel Telephone Company, Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, KPU, Lennon Telephone Company, LTC Networks, Lincoln Telephone Company, Lynxx Networks, Madison Telephone Company, Marquette-Adams Telephone Cooperative, Matanuska Telephone Association, Merit Network, Midco, Mid-Hudson Cable, Midstate Communications, Midway Telephone Company, Mosaic Telecom, Mount Horeb Telephone Company, Nelson Cable, Nemont, NfinityLink Communications, North Central Telephone Cooperative, Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company, Northern Telephone Cooperative, Northwest Communications Cooperative, Northwest Missouri Cellular, Norvado, Nsight Teleservices, Ntec, Nushagak Cooperative, Ontonagon County Telephone Company, Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative, Peninsula Fiber Network, Peoples Telephone Cooperative, Pigeon Telephone Company, Pine Belt Communications, Polar Communications, Portative Technologies, Rainbow Communications, Red River Communications, Richland-Grant Telephone Cooperative, RT Communications, Sandhill Telephone Cooperative, SCC Networks, Segra/Lumos Networks, Silver Star Communications, Sirentel, Sjoberg’s, Skyline Membership Cooperative, Solarus, STRATA Networks, SRT Communications, TCT, Thumb Cellular, Totelcom, TOWARDEX, Tri-County Communications Cooperative, TrioTel Communications, Twin Lakes, Viaero Wireless, Viasat, Wabash Communications CO-OP, Wander Internet, Wave Wireless, Wavelinc Communications, Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association, West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, West Kentucky and Tennessee Telephone Cooperative, West River Telecom, and WorldNet Telecommunications.  

Additionally, the associations TIA—The Telecommunications Industry Association and the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation have also endorsed the Pledge. 

For more information on the FCC’s actions related to the coronavirus pandemic, including the full list of signatories, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/coronavirus. 

FCC Rural Health Care Funding to Help With COVID-19 

The FCC adopted an Order to fully fund all eligible Rural Health Care Program services for the current funding year with an additional $42.19 million in funding. This action will help ensure that healthcare providers have the resources they need to promote telehealth solutions for patients.  The total Rural Health Care Program demand for Funding Year 2019 was $719.48 million, which exceeded the $677.29 million in previously available funding.  The Order permits USAC to carry forward additional unused funds from prior years to cover this funding gap and waives the cap on multi-year commitments and upfront payments that would result in unnecessary reductions in support for rural health care providers and their patients absent the FCC’s action 

Chairman Pai issued a statement saying: “This is a critically important step that the FCC took today, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 presents serious challenges to healthcare providers, and they need every tool in the toolbox at their disposal, particularly the enhanced connectivity that enables them to provide vital healthcare services to the American public. Today’s Order ensures that rural Americans will have access to the health care services they need.” 

FCC Releases Form 477 Data 

The FCC announced the release of updated data on fixed broadband deployment and mobile voice and broadband deployment as of June 30, 2019.  These data were collected through FCC Form 477.  Fixed Deployment Data are available for download here and can be viewed on the National Broadband Map. Mobile Deployment Data are here.  The fixed broadband data released today include revisions made by filers through February 25, 2020, while the mobile deployment data include revisions made by filers through December 1, 2019.  

For data on fixed broadband deployment, users can download data on the census blocks where providers report offering fixed broadband services to at least part of the block. These data tables also indicate the technology used to offer the service and the maximum advertised download and upload speeds for both consumer and business fixed broadband services. The data are available in CSV (comma delimited) format for both the entire United States and for individual states.  For data on mobile deployments, users can download coverage area shapefiles indicating mobile voice and broadband network deployment for each combination of provider and network technology, as well as separate CSV files depicting mobile coverage resulting from two different coverage analyses. 

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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.