THE REGULATORY MIX AND BLOG ARTICLES

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Commissioner Carr Visits Mississippi, FCT Acts Against a Second VoIP Service Provider for Facilitating Illegal Telemarketing Robocalls

FCC Commissioner Carr Visits Mississippi 

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr was in Mississippi recently for a series of events focusing on workforce development and infrastructure build-out, telehealth and classroom connectivity. 

Today's Regulatory Mix: Senators Introduce Bipartisan Telehealth Bill, FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel Releases New Podcast Episode

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Telehealth Bill

In a press release, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Angus King (I-Maine), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced the introduction of the Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act.  The new bipartisan bill directs $2 billion to help health care providers increase their broadband capacity and expand telehealth services during the current public health crisis.

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Approves More Telehealth Applications, FCC Announces New Members to NANC and Working Groups

FCC Approves More Telehealth Applications

In a press release, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved an additional 43 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $16.87 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic.  To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved funding for 132 health care providers in 33 states plus Washington, DC for a total of just over $50 million in funding.

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Approves Another Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Applications

FCC Approves Another Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Applications

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced it has approved an additional 26 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program.

Today's Regulatory Mix: COVID-19 Telehealth Applications Now Accepted Only Through Online Portal, Senators Propose $4 Billion in E-Rate Funding

COVID-19 Telehealth Applications Now Accepted Only Through Online Portal

In a Public Notice, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced that beginning May 2, 2020 the COVID-19 Telehealth Program will no longer accept PDF form applications by email for the Program.

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Announces Approval of More Telehealth Applicants

FCC Announces Approval of More Telehealth Applicants

The FCC announced the approval of an additional 13 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $4.2 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Approves First Six Telehealth Applications, Maryland Revises Rules for Originating Access Charges

FCC Approves First Six Telehealth Applications 

The FCC announced that it had approved six funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in some of the hardest hit areas like New York will use this $3.23 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Today's Regulatory Mix:  USDA Announces Grants in Illinois and Tennessee, FCC Commissioner Carr Visits North Carolina Events Focused on 5G and Telehealth

USDA Announces Grants in Illinois and Tennessee  

In Illinois, in a press release, the USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced an investment of $9 million in four, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 3,744 rural households, 31 businesses, 41 farms and a critical community facility in Tennessee.

FCC Grants Forbearance from UNE Loop and Resale Requirements

At the statutory deadline on Friday, the FCC announced it had granted US Telecom’s petition asking it to forbear from requiring price cap ILECs to continue offering: (1) analog voice-grade copper loops on an unbundled basis at regulated rates and (2) legacy services for resale at regulated rates. The FCC found that the communications marketplace has transformed over the past  twenty years, with consumers migrating away from plain old telephone service provided over copper wires by their local telephone company toward newer, any-distance voice services provided over next-generation networks by cable, mobile and fixed wireless, and over-the-top VoIP providers. 

NARUC Lifeline Resolution

At its July 2019 Summer Policy Summit, the NARUC approved a resolution  on Lifeline that urges the Federal Communications Commission to (i) work quickly and collaboratively with service providers and other stakeholders to fix the National Verifier before use of it is required in any state by (a) implementing service provider APIs, and (b) securing access to federal/state SNAP and Medicaid databases,