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FCC Approves Twelfth Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications, Closes Filing Window

On June 25, 2020, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (“WCB”) announced via Public Notice (DA 20-667) that it will no longer accept new applications for funding from the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, noting that demand for funding exceeds available Program funds based on applications received. This announcement comes after the June 24 approval of 77 additional applications and $29.41 million in funding. To date, the FCC has approved 444 funding applications in 46 states plus Washington, D.C. for a total of $157.64 million in funding. Congress appropriated $200 million for the Program in the CARES Act.

The FCC also released a report on the CARES Act spending plan in accordance with section 15011(b)(1)(B) of the legislation, which requires the agency to submit a plan describing how it will use the covered funds.

FCC Further Extends Temporary Waivers of Relay Services Rules

On June 22, 2020, the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau extended temporary waivers (DA 20-650) through August 31, 2020 for Telecommunications Relay Service (“TRS”) providers to ensure relay services remain available for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have a speech disability. These waivers extend actions previously taken to grant TRS providers flexibility.

FCC Further Extends Inteliquent Access Stimulation Waiver

On June 23, 2020, the WCB granted (DA 20-655) Inteliquent’s request for renewal of its temporary waiver of certain access stimulation rules until September 1, 2020. Inteliquent requested a limited renewal of the temporary waiver, with respect to traffic it terminates in six urban areas to preexisting customers on the basis that its terminating-to-originating traffic ratios in those areas continue to be particularly unbalanced as a result of the “unprecedented amounts of conference platform traffic that Inteliquent is terminating for pre-existing customers Zoom and Cisco Webex to facilitate remote work and other forms of social distancing.”

The WCB originally granted Onvoy d/b/a Inteliquent a temporary and limited waiver of the FCC’s rules that treat competitive local exchange carriers with an interstate terminating-to-originating traffic ratio of at least 6:1 as engaging in access stimulation.

FCC Resolves CAF Phase II, Rural Broadband Petitions

On June 26, 2020, the WCB, Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force, and Office of Economics and Analytics, resolved petitions (DA 20-677) filed by the Connect America Fund (“CAF”) Phase II Coalition and Skybeam, LLC (“Skybeam”) seeking waiver of the letter of credit rules for the CAF Phase II auction (“Auction 903”) and Rural Broadband Experiments. Petitioners requested that the FCC allow them to comply with the recently adopted letter of credit rules for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund instead. The FCC found good cause to grant a limited waiver to all Auction 903 and Rural Broadband Experiments funding recipients until December 31, 2021, because of the increased consumer demand for robust broadband services and severe financial hardship on the companies imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

FCC Announces Section 106 Emergency Authorizations

On June 25, 2020, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau issued a Public Notice (DA 20-668) announcing an electronic process for FCC licensees to apply for expedited Section 106 review or for emergency authorization to resume standard review for qualifying critical infrastructure projects. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires the FCC to account for the effect of any proposed “undertakings” on historic properties, including construction or collocation of wireless communications facilities.

The main sticking point among the Commissioners is over when Phase I should begin, and on what basis. The NPRM seeks comment on two options. Under the first option, the FCC would initiate Phase I in 2021 and use existing data sources – primarily census information – to determine rural areas eligible for funding by population (i.e., less than 2,500 people), and then prioritize support to those areas “unlikely” to see 5G deployment on their own. The FCC seeks comment on whether alternative data sources exist and whether a population density threshold may be more appropriate. The FCC plans to prioritize support to areas historically lacking 4G LTE (or even 3G) service. However, recognizing the deficiencies in existing wireless coverage data, the FCC asks for input on relevant information sources to make this historical determination. Under the second option, the FCC would postpone Phase I until at least 2023 in order to use more granular deployment data developed through its upcoming Digital Opportunity Data Collection. The NPRM asserts that the delay stems from a lack of appropriations under the recent Broadband DATA Act, which requires the FCC to significantly improve its broadband coverage maps. Without such appropriations, the FCC contends that it would need time to reallocate existing resources to broadband mapping that it would eventually use to determine rural areas lacking 5G service eligible for funding. Both options have their detractors, with critics of the first option noting that available census data already are almost ten years old as well as the importance of ensuring funding goes to areas actually lacking 5G service, and with detractors of the second option warning that funding delays would only widen the urban/rural digital divide. At the April Open Meeting, the two Democratic Commissioners dissented in part, suggesting that the NPRM presents a false choice between speed and accuracy.

Other key elements of the FCC’s 5G Fund proposal include:

• Auction Procedures: As with the RDOF, the FCC plans to award 5G Fund support through a “reverse” auction, where the provider offering to serve an area for the least amount of funding is the winner. Auction participants would bid by census tract (or a potentially larger area) and the FCC’s proposes applying an “adjustment” factor to increase the funding available for tracts with difficult terrain and other characteristics increasing service costs. The FCC plans to issue proposed adjustment factor criteria and seek comment on such criteria at a later date.
• Performance Requirements: The FCC proposes requiring 5G Fund support recipients to provide speeds of at least 35/3 Mbps, with potential increases over time to reflect service advancements. Support recipients would be required to provide a minimum cell-edge download speed of 7/1 Mbps, with a 90% coverage probability and 50% cell loading factor. The FCC also would cap supported service latency at 100 milliseconds per round trip. In addition, support recipients would be required to offer at least one service plan with a data allowance equaling the average U.S. subscriber’s data usage. As with prior high-cost programs, support recipients would be required to offer their services at rates “reasonably comparable” to those offered in urban areas and be subject to collocation and roaming obligations.
• Deployment Milestones: The FCC anticipates adopting escalating deployment milestones for 5G Fund support recipients. Specifically, support recipients would be required to offer service meeting the performance requirements to 40% of their service area by the end of the third full calendar year of funding, with the deployment requirement increasing to 60% by year four, 80% by year five, and 85% by year six as the final milestone. To avoid a repeat of the Mobility Fund Phase II coverage data issues, the FCC plans to impose strict reporting requirements on 5G Fund support recipients that include significant on-the-ground testing and standardized propagation modeling.
• Transitioning Legacy Support: The FCC seeks comment on how best to transition existing high-cost support to 5G Fund auction winners. In particular, the FCC proposes phasing down all legacy high-cost support over no more than five years, with legacy support recipients required to meet the same performance requirements as 5G Fund auction winners on an accelerated schedule to receive transition funding.
• ETC Designation and Application Requirements: Like the RDOF, the FCC plans to permit service providers to participate in the 5G Fund auction without first being designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier ("ETC"). However, winning bidders would be required to obtain an ETC designation in their supported service areas before receiving any funding. The 5G Fund application process also would mirror RDOF procedures, with service providers initially submitting a short-form application including basic information on their identity, ownership, and financial/technical qualifications followed by a long-form application for winning bidders providing detailed network information and deployment timeframes. Winning bidders also would be required to meet letter of credit requirements, which could be eased as the providers hit deployment milestones.