CommLaw Monitor
FCC’s December Meeting Agenda Includes Emergency Alerts, Satellite Broadband and E-Rate Items
The FCC released a streamlined agenda for its next Commission Open Meeting, scheduled for December 14, 2021. The agency will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) and Notice of Inquiry regarding how to…
Does the Rural Healthcare Program Need a Check-Up? Program Under Microscope Following $18.7 Million Proposed Fine for Fraud
The Rural Health Care Program (“RHCP”) is sure to face increased scrutiny in the wake of a $18.7 million proposed fine issued by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) at its January meeting against a…
FCC Votes on Possible Changes to the Rural Health Care Program
At its last open meeting in 2017, the five FCC Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Order regarding the Commission’s Rural Health Care (RHC) Program, a 20-year old…
As E-rate Reform Approaches, Chairman Wheeler Unveils His Proposed Revisions
After a year of broad pronouncements about the need for reforming the E-rate program, the FCC is poised to adopt new E-rate rules at its open meeting in July. Concurrent with his circulation of the E-rate item to his…
FCC Denies Another E-Rate Appeal for Failure to Comply with Competitive Bidding Procedures
With the e-rate program pressing against its cap in funding, the FCC seems to be clamping down on its competitive bidding procedures. For the fifth time this month, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau denied a…