INCOMPAS News -- August 22, 2022

Vol. 18, No. 35

August 22, 2022

FCC Misses Chance to Save USF, Now Congress Must Protect Streaming Revolution from Monopoly ISPs' Price Hikes

The FCC last week released its report and recommendations on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF) as requested by Congress in the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act.

INCOMPAS has been a leading voice calling for the FCC to take immediate action on USF contribution reform, recently releasing a fact sheet noting that over 340 organizations support the USForward Report’s recommendations to save USF now.

“The USF program is on life support, and the FCC missed an opportunity to provide a simple and immediate solution to help save it. The FCC clearly has the authority today to save USF by evolving the program to include broadband internet access service revenue in the contribution base. This is a common sense solution, which can and should be taken today, that will help ensure millions of low-income individuals, rural families, and small businesses preserve the ability to connect to voice and internet services they desperately need,” said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering.

“As Congress now bears greater responsibility for saving USF, we strongly encourage bipartisan leaders to stand with consumers and creators and reject monopoly ISP efforts to raise prices on streaming competition that has brought more choice and lower prices for hundreds of millions of American families.”

Discover New Ways to Boost Sales & Marketing ROI at

The 2022 INCOMPAS Show

Sales and marketing are key factors in the race to gain more market share and increase revenue. Learn how to uplevel these activities to boost your ROI and improve campaign success at The 2022 INCOMPAS Show.

During our Sales & Marketing Interactive Roundtables in Denver, October 24-26, you can get the 411 on best practices to enhance marketing productivity, identify the best KPIs to measure effectiveness and build go-to-market strategies that achieve your objectives.

Led by Laura Johns, founder & CEO of The Business Growers, and Amy Kohl, founder and CEO of AK Operations, the Sales & Marketing track will feature roundtables on:

This track is part of a series of Interactive Roundtables available exclusively to VIP All-Inclusive Pass holders. These roundtables, facilitated by subject-matter experts, will give you the chance to participate in frank discussions about the challenges your company faces and hear how others are addressing them.

Member Profile: Tarana Wireless

Tarana Wireless is a rapidly growing telecom vendor creating and leading the next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) category. The company is fundamentally changing market dynamics with Gigabit 1 (G1), their end-to-end solution specifically designed for broadband service providers to address the performance and network economics shortcomings of legacy fixed wireless technology.

Visit the INCOMPAS website to learn more about Tarana Wireless.

For more information on submitting a member profile, or updating an existing one, email Gail Norris or call 240-477-4554.

Last Technical BDC Webinar Scheduled for Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET

Reminder, the FCC’s Broadband Data Task Force (BDTF) is holding its last Technical Assistance Workshop tomorrow to assist filers who are submitting broadband availability data in the inaugural Broadband Data Collection (BDC) window.

Tuesday, August 23 at 4 p.m. ET - Using the BDC System and Common Error Codes

This session will focus on a particular topic and provide attendees with the opportunity to have their questions answered by FCC staff. Reminder that data must be submitted into the BDC system no later than September 1, 2022.

If interested to register for this workshop, you should send an e-mail to [email protected] indicating your desire to participate. In addition, questions may be submitted in advance of or during the workshop to [email protected].

INCOMPAS Suggests FCC Rule Changes to

Address Gaps in Illegal Robocall Mitigation Framework

INCOMPAS filed comments last week in response to the Further Notices of Proposed Rulemaking in the FCC's robocall and call authentication proceeding.

INCOMPAS supports the FCC's proposal to require intermediate providers to adopt call authentication requirements, but presents challenges that might reduce the efficacy of such a requirement given the lack of IP interconnection across the networks. The association urged the FCC to make targeted enhancements to its existing affirmative obligations for providers and argued that an extension of the General Mitigation standard and RMD filing requirement is warranted as long as the FCC maintains a flexible and non-discriminatory approach to these provisions.

INCOMPAS also urged the FCC to provide further clarity regarding STIR/SHAKEN implementation and RMD filing requirements given ongoing confusion over the obligations of providers that lack control of the necessary infrastructure to implement the call authentication framework. And the association recommended, given the success providers have had with such arrangements, that the FCC allow third parties to authenticate caller ID information to satisfy an originating provider’s obligation.

FCC Announces Timeline for 2023 Urban Rate Survey

The FCC's Office of Economics and Analytics and the Wireline Competition Bureau issued a public notice initiating the urban rate survey for 2023. The information collected will be used to develop voice and broadband reasonable comparability benchmarks that will be in place in 2023. They said notifications to providers required to complete a survey were sent via email on August 15, 2022, and provided information on how to access and complete the online survey report form and obtain technical assistance. Completed surveys are due September 19, 2022.

DoJ Offers Views on E-Rate Competitive Bidding Rulemaking

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a letter to provide its views on the rulemaking on competitive bidding in the E-rate Program. The DOJ said to best protect the competitive process, real-time, centralized, electronic collection of pre-award bids and bid-selection documents must be the rule, not the exception, in the award of grants and contracts subject to federal oversight. The DOJ supported the FCC’s proposal as drafted, saying it would enhance the ability of the FCC’s Office of Inspector General to detect and deter fraud in the E-rate Program.

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