Today: US Congress Connect Government Act, FCC Lifeline Settlements, Connecticut Net Neutrality Draft Legislation, District of Columbia Resolution on Net Neutrality, Georgia Net Neutrality Legislation, New York Net Neutrality Legislation
US Congress - Connect Government Act
The Connected Government Act will require federal agency websites intended for public use to be "mobile-friendly." It will promote transparency and bring the government into the 21st century. H.R.2331 requires: (1) a federal agency that creates or redesigns a website intended for use by the public to ensure that the website is mobile friendly, and (2) the Office of Management and Budget to report on agency compliance. "Mobile friendly" means that the website is configured in such a way that it may be navigated, viewed, and accessed on a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar mobile device.
FCC Lifeline Settlements
The FCC settled its investigations of five providers that received improper payments from the Lifeline program. Because the companies had already repaid the program for improper payments, the FCC found that the public interest would be served by adopting Consent Decrees resolving the Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeitures issued to the companies. As part of each settlement, the companies agreed to make additional payments to the U.S. Treasury and to implement compliance plans to ensure future adherence to program rules. The settlement amounts range from $55,000 to $1,025,000. Among other things, the companies agreed to appoint compliance officers; adopt compliance plans, manuals, and training programs; and provide ongoing compliance reports to the FCC. Of particular interest is the requirement to adopt operating procedures under which: (1) each employee involved with sales, marketing, and/or enrollment of new Lifeline customers will be given an individual identifier code that must be recorded when the employee processes an enrollment form; (2) each company will accept legal responsibility with respect to compliance with the FCC Lifeline Rules for the sales, marketing, and/or enrollment activities of all personnel and agents; (3) employees and agents will be expressly prohibited from signing themselves up for Lifeline, or entering their own information into NLAD; and (4) each company must create procedures for employees and agents to anonymously report wrongdoing through a Whistleblower Hotline.
Connecticut Net Neutrality Draft Legislation
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said he plans to draft legislation aimed at protecting Connecticut businesses and consumers from the FCC’s rollback of net neutrality rules and to hold companies to their commitment not to block websites, throttle speeds, or impose prioritization pricing. He said the legislation would also establish a process for internet service providers to certify that they will not engage in practices inconsistent with net neutrality principles.
District of Columbia Resolution on Net Neutrality
The City Council has released a resolution to "strongly oppose" the action taken by the FCC last week to repeal the net neutrality rules. The resolution, which is called the "Sense of the Council Opposing the Repeal of Net Neutrality Rules Resolution of 2017," states that the FCC's "Restoring Internet Freedom" order dismantles the Commission's net neutrality rules that were established to maintain open and unfettered access to lawful content on the Internet. The ruling "will now place the duty on ISPs to police themselves by notifying the public when they have blocked sites, throttled content, or collected fees to prioritize content when all of these activities were previously prohibited."
Georgia Net Neutrality Legislation
In Georgia, Senator Harold Jones II has prefiled a bill to provide that any Internet service provider (ISP) engaged in the provision of broadband Internet access service (BIAS) must publicly disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of its BIAS; to prohibit any ISP from blocking lawful content, applications, services, and nonharmful devices; to prohibit unreasonable discrimination in transmitting lawful network traffic over a consumer's broadband Internet access service; to provide for penalties; and to repeal conflicting laws.
New York Net Neutrality Legislation
Senator Kevin Parker issued an announcement advocating protections for net neutrality in NY State. He said: "As the Ranking Democratic member on the Senate Energy & Telecommunication Committee, I am totally dismayed by the vote taken by the FCC that reverses the vital Obama era policy of net neutrality.” Senate Bill S7175 includes a clause that forbids State and municipalities from contracting with broadband companies (ISPs) that refuse to follow the Obama era net neutrality rules. An appropriation would provide a revolving loan fund (of up to $250M) for any municipality that has a non-complying ISP in its environs to be able to borrow the capital to build a competing network.
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The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily 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 a TMI Briefing.
