INCOMPAS News -- January 3, 2022

Vol. 18, No. 1

January 3, 2022

Granite's Galvin Elected as

New INCOMPAS Board Chair

INCOMPAS today announced that its Board of Directors elected Michael B. Galvin (pictured at right), Chief Administrative Officer of Granite Telecommunications, LLC, to serve as its Chair. Galvin takes the helm from Kurt Van Wagenen, President and CEO of FirstLight Fiber, who served three terms as Chair and was elected to serve as Vice Chair this year. The Board also re-elected Brian Worthen, CEO of Mammoth Networks, to serve as Treasurer.

Rounding out the Executive Committee are four at-large members: Gillian Leytham, Vice President, Underlying Rights & Government Relations, North America at Zayo; Ronald Mudry, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Uniti Group Inc.; Sean Sullivan, Vice President of MetTel; and Gary Watts, founder and CEO of Fuse.Cloud.

“Granite has been a stalwart for competition within the telecommunications industry, so I am honored that my colleagues have tapped me to serve as the INCOMPAS Board Chair to foster continued association growth and build on the excellent work accomplished under Kurt Van Wagenen's leadership,” Galvin said. “INCOMPAS members have played crucial roles in keeping Americans connected during the pandemic and building solutions of the future with faster speeds, improved service and greater affordability. 2022 is going to be a transformative year with broadband deployment taking center stage as billions of dollars are invested to drive universal connectivity with competitive options. I look forward to working together with INCOMPAS staff and members to advocate for greater competition and innovation policies that help our companies grow and better serve families, schools and businesses of every size across the country.”

INCOMPAS held elections in late 2021 for companies to serve two-year terms running through 2023. Member companies, and their representatives, elected to this term on the Board include:

Small Company

Hilliary Communications LLC – Edward E. Hilliary Jr., Managing Partner
Telnyx LLC – Sarah Halko, Director of Regulatory and Industry Affairs
ZenFi Networks – Ray LaChance, Co-Founder and CEO

Medium Company

Conterra Ultra Broadband LLC – Craig Gunderson, President and CEO
Bandwidth – Greg Rogers, Head of Global Policy and Regulatory Affairs

Large Company

MetTel – Sean Sullivan, Vice President

Increase Your Visibility in Washington with a

2022 INCOMPAS Policy Summit Sponsorship

Plans are underway for The 2022 INCOMPAS Policy Summit, taking place February 8 in Washington, D.C.

Since 2022 is shaping up to be a transformational year on many fronts, with a host of opportunities for competitive communications and broadband network builders, it's important your company's voice is heard. Increase your visibility with a sponsorship of our flagship policy event, which will feature members of Congress and the Administration, key agency leadership, and industry executives and thought leaders.

For more information on available sponsorships, visit our website or email Kneeland Gammill.

NTIA to Host Broadband Grant Programs Listening Sessions

NTIA will host broadband grant program public virtual listening sessions in connection with the five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program; the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program; and the Digital Equity Act Programs, which include the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. These public virtual listening sessions are designed to collect stakeholder input to help inform program development and implementation.

Virtual public listening sessions will take place:

Wednesday, January 12, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, January 26, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, February 9, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, February 23, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. EST

These listening sessions will be hosted via NTIA’s virtual platform. Registration information will be available on the NTIA's BroadbandUSA website.

INCOMPAS Joins in Filing Extension on USF NOI Dates

INCOMPAS joined Public Knowledge, NTCA, WTA, USTelecom, and others in filing a motion on December 22, 2021, seeking a 30-day extension of the comment deadline and a 45-day extension of the reply comment deadline for the notice of inquiry (NOI) initiating a proceeding on the future of the Universal Service Fund required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. They asserted the NOI addresses complex issues and involves historic fund allocations that will significantly impact the commission’s goal of providing broadband access to all Americans. They also said the FCC should grant this extension to ensure it has the best possible record before it evaluates the impact of the Infrastructure Act on the USF and its programs.

FCC Commits $603 Million to Emergency Connectivity Fund

The FCC announced on December 20, 2021, that it committed $603 million in additional Emergency Connectivity Fund support, bringing total program commitments to over $3.8 billion. The FCC said the program has committed to supporting 9,000 schools, 760 libraries and 100 consortia to date, which are approved to receive over 8.3 million connected devices and over 4.4 million broadband connections.

Wireline Bureau Adopts FY22 E-Rate Eligible Services List

The FCC Wireline Competition Bureau issued an order on December 17, 2021, adopting the final eligible services list for funding year 2022 for the E-rate program. The bureau released the eligible services list for funding year 2022 and authorized USAC to open the annual FCC Form 471 application filing window within 60 days after the release of this order.

Vermont District Court Stays Net Neutrality Challenge

The U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont issued an order further staying a case challenging a state bill and executive order regulating net neutrality and the provision of broadband internet service. The court ruled that further proceedings in this case shall be stayed until the Ninth Circuit Court has resolved the pending appeal in ACA Connects, et al. v. Becerra, or April 15, 2022, whichever comes first.

Reps. Fletcher, Neguse Introduce Bipartisan

Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act

Reps. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), and Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) introduced H.R. 6314, the Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act, directing the FCC to improve funding for the Universal Service Fund (USF) to allow for expanded access to broadband and other telecommunications services.

The Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act is the companion to Senate legislation, S. 3236, originally introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and John Thune (R-S.D.) which requires the FCC to reform the USF contribution mechanism.