Bulletins

Wireline Competition Bureau Seeks Nominations for Twelve Board Member Positions on the Universal Service Administrative Company Board of Directors.

Today, the President will travel to Durant, Oklahoma, to announce ConnectHome, a new initiative with communities, the private sector, and federal government to expand high speed broadband to more families across the country. The pilot program is launching in twenty-seven cities and one tribal nation and will initially reach over 275,000 low-income households – and nearly 200,000 children – with the support they need to access the Internet at home. Internet Service Providers, non-profits and the private sector will offer broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and devices for residents in assisted housing units.

E-Rate Central submits these Reply Comments in response to the FCC’s Public Notice released May 21, 2015 (designated DA 15-615) seeking comment on USAC’s proposed Eligible Services List (“ESL”) for Funding Year 2016.

Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2015) – The Federal Communications Commission today took significant steps to modernize its Lifeline program, seeking comment on restructuring the program to better support 21st Century communications while building on existing reforms to continue strengthening protections against waste, fraud and abuse.

In this Public Notice, the Office of Managing Director (OMD) announces that the proposed universal service contribution factor for the third quarter of 2015 will be 0.171 or 17.1 percent.

The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on the attached proposed eligible services list (ESL) for the schools and libraries universal support mechanism (more commonly known as the E-rate program) for funding year 2016. We invite stakeholders to comment on any aspect of the proposed ESL, and particularly welcome comments based on applicants’ and other interested parties’ experience with using the ESLs for recent funding years.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) hereby submits the federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms fund size and administrative cost projections for the third quarter of calendar year 2015 (3Q2015), in accordance with Section 54.709 of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC or Commission) rules.

On April 15, after a multi-year investigation arising from events in 2004-2008, the Chief of the Telecommunications Access Policy Division (TAPD) of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau issued an Order denying appeals by an E-rate service provider and four Massachusetts school districts of a USAC decision that found numerous flagrant violations of the E-rate rules in the provider's dealings with the schools. These included violations of the program's competitive bidding and non-discount share rules. The Order found that the provider, Achieve Telecom Network, "devised a scheme to pass through, control, and direct the disbursement of funds... to cover the Schools' non-discount share of the costs of Achieve's services, in violation of the E-rate program rules," and that "as a result of this scheme, Achieve essentially provided 'free services' to the Schools."

Since the dawn of the internet, there's been much talk about the digital divide – the gap between those with access to the internet and those without. But what about the "homework gap"?

Remarks of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Federal Communications Commission Texas Computer Education Association Austin, Texas February 4, 2015.