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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact how Americans connect at work and home, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has been active to keep communications services available through various waivers, extensions, and other regulatory relief. Kelley Drye’s Communications Practice Group is tracking these actions and what they mean for communications service providers and their customers. CommLaw Monitor periodically provides updates to its analysis of the latest regulatory and legislative actions impacting your business and the communications industry. Click on the “COVID-19” blog category for previous updates.

If you have any urgent questions, please contact your usual Kelley Drye attorney or any member of the Communications Practice Group. For more information on other aspects of the federal and state response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as labor and employment and other issues, please visit Kelley Drye’s COVID-19 Response Resource Center.…

Continue Reading COVID-19: What Communications Service Providers Need to Know – October 5, 2020

AT&T has joined the ranks of petitioners seeking to overturn the Wireline Competition Bureau’s tough stance on contributors’ late-filed USF forms.  On September 13, AT&T joined Airband Communications in seeking Commission-level review of the Bureau’s Denial Order. 

Note:  A third carrier, Airnex Communications, filed a petition for reconsideration of the Denial Order. 

AT&T asserts that the Denial Order is inconsistent with other orders granting waivers of Form 499 filing deadlines.  For good measure, AT&T also asks the FCC to act on its 5-1/2 year old petition to reverse the 1-year amendment deadline that it missed in this instance. …

Continue Reading AT&T Joins Effort to Expand Waivers for Late-Filed USF Forms

Last week, we posted an entry about the tough stance the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau is taking on late-filed Universal Service Forms submitted by contributors.  One of the parties whose USF appeal was denied, Airband Communications, has filed an application for review of the Bureau decision.  The Commission yesterday asked for comment on the request.   Comments are…

In stark contrast to the Bureau’s more liberal waiver policy for recipients of Universal Service Funds, the Wireline Competition Bureau recently released orders affirming a tough stance for contributors who miss USF filing deadlines.  In the Waiver Order, the Bureau granted two waviers of the deadline to file 499-A revisions.  In the Denial Order, the…