E&C Subcommittee Chairs and Vice Chairs Announced

Incoming Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie announced the Committee's subcomittee leadership:

• Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) will chair the Communications and Technology subcommittee
• Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) will chair the Energy subcommittee.

Senate Passes Bill Authorizing Secure & Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program

• The Senate passed the Service Member Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 on Dec. 18, 2024. The bill would establish a spectrum auction trust fund, which would provide $3.08 billion for the FCC’s rip-and-replace program for the removal, replacement and disposal of equipment and services considered to be a threat to national security.

FCC to Open 6th Broadband Data Collection Filing Window Jan. 2

The Broadband Data Task Force issued a public notice announcing the sixth Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filing window for submitting broadband availability and other data as of December 31, 2024, will open on January 2, 2025. The task force also said the December 2024 update of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric is being made available to existing Fabric licensees in advance of the opening of the window.

On January 2, 2025, facilities-based broadband service providers may submit data into the BDC system specifying where they made mass-market broadband internet access service available. Such entities, and providers of fixed and mobile voice services, must also submit their December 31, 2024 subscription data required under Form 477 into the BDC system.

Results Announced for 2025 Urban Rate Survey

The Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics issued a public notice announcing the 2025 reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed voice and broadband services for ETCs subject to broadband public interest obligations, including rate-of-return carriers, Enhanced A-CAM providers, Rural Broadband Experiment providers, CAF Phase II auction winners and RDOF auction winners, and universal service support recipients.

They also announced the posting of the fixed voice and broadband services data collected in the most recent urban rate survey and explanatory notes regarding the data, as well as the required minimum usage allowance for ETCs subject to public interest obligations for fixed broadband. The 2024 rates are:

• Local voice service is $30.67
• Reasonable comparability benchmark for voice services is $55.55
• Reasonable comparability benchmarks for broadband range from $89.51 for 4/1 Mbps (720 GB usage allowance) to $145.80 for 2/1 Gbps (unlimited usage).

Alaska-specific benchmarks range from $147.09 (720 GB usage allowance) to $209.03 for 2/1 Gbps (unlimited usage). ETCs must certify they meet the benchmarks in FCC Form 481 filed no later than July 1, 2025.

FCC Evaluates STIR/SHAKEN Implementation Deadlines

The Wireline Competition Bureau issued a public notice announcing it performed its annual reevaluation of the remaining STIR/SHAKEN implementation extensions granted by the FCC as required by section 64.6304(f)(extension of implementation deadline.)

The bureau found the only two remaining extensions remain necessary to avoid undue hardship for the limited number of providers that require them:

• For small voice service providers originating calls via satellite using U.S. North American Numbering Plan numbers
• For providers that cannot obtain a Service Provider Code token extensions