The Regulatory Mix - Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Extends COVID-19 Telehealth Program Deadline, USDA Announces Broadband Funding For South Dakota and Wyoming

FCC Extends COVID-19 Telehealth Program Deadline

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has extended from September 30, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the deadline for COVID-19 Telehealth Program (COVID-19 Program) funding recipients to purchase eligible devices and implement eligible services. This extension provides COVID-19 Program funding recipients additional time to purchase eligible items to provide telehealth services to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  The Bureau was responding to multiple requests to extend the purchase/implementation deadline for the COVID-19 Program. Participants needing more time cited reasons including the length of time needed to complete procurement steps required by the state, and procurement or implementation delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or by recent hurricane damage.

As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), Congress appropriated $200 million to the FCC to support efforts of health care providers to address coronavirus by providing telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to enable the provision of telehealth services  The COVID-19 Program was established to administer this funding.  The FCC issued funding awards for 539 applications from April 16, 2020 until July 8, 2020, when the appropriated $200 million budget was exhausted.

USDA Announces Broadband Funding For South Dakota and Wyoming

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is investing $1.7 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in southwestern South Dakota and eastern Wyoming.  Specifically, Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. will use a $1.7 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 218 people, five businesses, 65 farms and one essential community facility to high-speed broadband internet in Fall River and Custer counties in South Dakota and Niobrara and Weston counties in Wyoming.

USDA Rural Development South Dakota State Director Julie Gross said, in part, “The ReConnect Program helps facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to broadband.  This project will provide high-speed internet e-Connectivity that will assist homeowners with gaining access to global markets, remote learning for school children, and opportunities for remote business operations.”  Wally Wolski, USDA Rural Development Wyoming State Director, added, “This broadband project will cross the South Dakota border into rural eastern Wyoming to reach some of our most rural residents. Expanding access to this essential service will be most welcome by the area’s small communities.”

Recent Briefing Headlines from Inteserra:

California Declares Another County Specific State of Emergency Due to Fires; New Advice Letter Required 

District of Columbia Approves Relief Plan For 202 NPA

FCC Announces Effective Date Of Call Blocking Safe Harbor And Single Point of Contact Rules

FCC RDOF Information Collections Become Effective

FCC Requests Comment on Rural Call Completion Report

Nevada Seeks Comment On Late Fees Rule

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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.