The FCC released the third iteration of its national broadband map Friday, showing nearly 1 million additional homes and businesses having access to high-speed internet access since the last iteration. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in an FCC note that with "each refresh of the map we are more confident in the accuracy of the data." The map included an additional 800,000 broadband serviceable locations and "any changes in the number of locations will overwhelmingly reflect on-the-ground changes such as the construction of new housing," Rosenworcel said. About 4.8 million challenges to provider-reported availability were made to date, with more than 1.5 million location challenges accepted. "We’ve also seen hundreds of corrections to provider reported data based on FCC-initiated verification efforts," Rosenworcel noted.

The FCC’s notice of inquiry asking how AI can fight robocalls, as well as potential risks from the technology, saw a few changes over the draft (see 2311150042). The FCC approved the NOI 5-0 Wednesday and released the final version Thursday. Comments are due Dec. 18, replies Jan. 16. Among the changes, the NOI now mentions the administration’s AI executive order (see 2310300056), released after the draft circulated. The FCC added a series of questions in a new paragraph. “What other steps can we take to identify the root causes of AI-driven robocall or robotext scams?” the NOI now asks: “Should we solicit information from industry regarding the type of AI technologies used in particular scams, either on a regular basis or in connection with investigations? Should we inquire as to whether the AI technology used was developed for general legal uses, and misused, or whether it was purpose-built for unlawful applications? If the AI technology was developed for general use, were there safeguards in place to ensure it was not misused? If so, how were they disabled?” The NOI also now asks, “How best can we share the information that we gather about fraudulent uses of AI within our purview with our sister agencies, who are charged with addressing malicious uses of AI in other contexts?” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks indicated Wednesday he asked for those changes. The NOI includes statements from Starks and Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

Jared Carlson, Nese Guendelsberger and Thomas Sullivan were named deputy chiefs of the FCC Office of International Affairs, with Michele Wu-Bailey as assistant chief and chief of staff, OIA said Wednesday. Formed in the reorganization of the International Bureau into the Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs, OIA is headed by Ethan Lucarelli (see 2304110002).

Cable interests urged an ongoing pipeline of unlicensed and shared-licensed spectrum and a maximization of already in-use bands during a meeting with aides to FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, said a filing Wednesday in docket 18-295. They also pushed for easier relocation and change of incumbent federal or commercial services. Meeting with Gomez's aides were representatives of Comcast, Charter, Cox Enterprises, CableLabs and NCTA.

FCC Administrative Law Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin scheduled a Dec. 5 status conference on Mongoose Works' petition for de novo review of a Wireless Bureau order upholding the C-Band Clearinghouse's reduction of Mongoose’s C-band relocation lump sum claim (see 2309180019), according to an initial order Tuesday in docket 21-333.

Residential phone service costs in the U.S. in October rose 5.5% year over year, as were cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index unadjusted data released Tuesday. Wireless phone service costs were down 0.4% year over year, but internet service was up 4.4%. Smartphone prices dropped 12%, and computers, peripherals and smart home assistants fell 5.7%. Video purchase/subscription/rental was up 3.1%. BLS said September prices overall were up 3.2% year over year before seasonal adjustment.

Twenty-six governors are urging federal lawmakers to ensure additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program. "Preserving the ACP will allow us to build upon the progress we’ve made in expanding connectivity rather than falling behind in a mission we cannot afford to lose," the bipartisan group said in a letter Tuesday to House and Senate Majority and Minority leaders. Agency officials also called on Congress to provide additional funding during a Connect20 Summit Tuesday hosted by Network:On, National Digital Inclusion Alliance and Broadband Breakfast. "If you're going to have a goal of affordable, reliable high-speed internet for every American, you have to make a serious commitment to the affordable piece," said Capital Projects Fund Director Joseph Wender, "and that serious commitment is the ACP." Wender cautioned that "we are approaching a cliff where it will run out of money at some point early next year" and there could be "cascading effects" should the program be forced to sunset. ACP "has been a really critical way for all of our agencies to make sure that once we help support the infrastructure costs, that it's affordable for consumers," said Rural Utilities Service Assistant Administrator-Telecom Program Laurel Leverrier. The program has especially benefited rural areas where "the economics aren't there for a lot of rural providers," Leverrier said, and it's "a really critical piece for our rural communities." NTIA is "fully invested" in ensuring that ACP "remains an active program," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Deputy Administrator Sarah Morris, "both to connect these households and also for the ongoing success of our BEAD program."

The FCC announced a proceeding Monday proposing to establish a schools and libraries cybersecurity pilot program that would allow the commission to "obtain valuable data concerning the cybersecurity and advanced firewall services that would best help K12 schools and libraries address the growing cyber threats and attacks against their broadband networks and data," said an NPRM. Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publication, 60 days for replies, in docket 23-234. “This pilot program is an important pathway for hardening our defenses against sophisticated cyberattacks on schools and ransomware attacks that harm our students and get in the way of their learning,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: “Protecting our students is a critically important task and one that touches on the mission of several federal agencies." The proposed pilot program calls for an investment of up to $200 million over three years funded by the Universal Service Fund, per a news release. It would be separate from the E-rate program to "ensure gains in enhanced cybersecurity don’t come at a cost of undermining E-rate’s success." The pilot program would also provide funding to eligible K-12 schools and libraries to "defray the qualifying costs of receiving the cybersecurity and advanced firewall services needed to protect their E-rate-funded broadband networks and data from the growing number of school and library-focused cyber events."

The FCC violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it amended its rules to incorporate four new equipment testing standards, and did so without the proper notice and comment protocol, alleged iFixit, Public Resource and Make Community in a petition for review Wednesday (23-1311) at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The FCC didn’t publish the proposed rules in the Federal Register, and they weren’t otherwise “reasonably available for use in commenting on them,” said the petition. The petitioners aren’t asking the court to vacate the rules, only to remand them to the FCC for a new and proper NPRM, it said. The amendments were published as a final order in the Sept. 29 FR and took effect Oct. 30. An FCC spokesperson declined to comment Thursday.

Satellite and wireless operators and interests generally agree with a C-Band Relocation Payment Clearinghouse call for a deadline by which final C-band clearing claims should be submitted, and many are pushing for deadlines to speed up clearinghouse claims processing, according to comments Thursday in docket 18-122. Not all C-band clearinghouse expenses will be incurred by the proposed final submission date of Sept. 30, 2024, or the clearinghouses' targeted end date of June 30, 2025, Intelsat said. It said any final claim submission deadline must come with a process for foreseeable claims incurred after that deadline to be submitted and reimbursed. To simplify the clearinghouse process, Intelsat urged use of a sampling methodology for clearing costs and claims of less than $5,000 per antenna. SES said the average time for one of its claims to be reimbursed is 323 days, and it expects to submit nearly 1,000 more claims by a final claim submission deadline. Any final claim submission deadline won't promote an efficient close to the C-band reimbursement if the clearinghouse doesn't have similar deadlines by which it must process claims, SES said. It said 90 days to make a determination on a claim is "more than sufficient." Absent some way of improving the clearinghouse's claims processing timeline, the clearinghouse's proposed June 30 wind-down "may not be achievable," SES said. CTIA said the "slow reimbursement process and backlog of claims "does not serve anyone’s interests," and deadlines for submitting and processing claims and for closing out the clearinghouse process would give certitude and also help cap administrative costs. It urged a final close-out deadline of Dec. 31, 2024. Verizon suggested a Feb. 5 submission claim deadline for all costs incurred and paid as of the end of 2023 and a July 1 deadline for costs incurred and paid after 2023. It also urged 90-day claims processing deadlines for the clearinghouse and a Dec. 31, 2024, final closeout deadline. AT&T backed 90-day deadlines and a Dec. 31, 2024, end to all reimbursement-related activities. Pointing to clearinghouse administrative costs well exceeding what was estimated, it said the clearinghouse should be able to phase down its overhead as the number of claims declines.