Welcome to the Tech & Telecom Weekly, an e-newsletter keeping you apprised of the latest developments in the telecommunications and high-tech industries.
FCC Policy
Charter Communications has withdrawn its June 2020 petition to cease compliance with two of the conditions imposed on its merger with Time Warner and Bright House Networks: the prohibition on data caps and usage-based pricing, and the obligation to provide IP interconnection free of charge. The merger conditions have been in place since June 2016 and carry a term of seven years. For more information, please contact Stephanie Joyce.
On January 14, 2021, the FCC fined Scott Rhodes nearly $10 Million pursuant to the Truth in Caller ID Act for spoofing caller ID information in connection with almost 5,000 robocalls with intent to cause harm to consumers. Rhodes targeted specific communities with spoofed calls and pre-recorded messages, including calls to a murder victim’s family, racist attacks on political candidates, threats to a local journalist, and calls to residents of Charlottesville attempting to influence the jury pool during the 2018 trial of James Fields. For more information, please Doug Bonner.
Compliance Alerts
FCC Form 499-Q is due February 1, 2021, for all filers that are not considered de minimis for Universal Service contribution purposes. The filing must report revenues from the 4th quarter of 2020, and projected revenues for the 3rd quarter of 2021. The 499-Q must be filed through the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) online portal.
USAC will host a webinar to review the Eligible Services List for E-Rate’s 2021 Funding Year on January 27, 2021, at 1:00pm ET. Interested persons can register here. USAC recommends that participants review the Eligible Services List here prior to attending.
In anticipation of the launch of its Reassigned Numbers Database, the FCC released the technical specifications for reporting reassigned and disconnected numbers. The FCC will announce the compliance date for reporting in an upcoming notice in the Federal Register. (CG Docket No. 17-59, DA 21-67)
Please contact Katherine Barker Marshall with any questions about Universal Service Fund or numbering issues.
Legislative Affairs
The House Commerce Committee has elected its new leadership and announced its rosters for the 117th Congress. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) was elected Vice Chair and the six Subcommittee Chairs include Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Communications and Technology, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Consumer Protection and Commerce. The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and the Democratic Caucus must approve the appointments. For more information, please contact Stephanie Joyce.
Note: This publication is distributed with the understanding that the author, publisher and distributor of this publication and/or any linked publication are not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice or opinions on specific facts or matters and, accordingly, assume no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Pursuant to applicable rules of professional conduct, portions of this publication may constitute Attorney Advertising.
