Wednesday, March 13: Number Reputation Optimization Webinar

Join INCOMPAS and Caller ID Reputation this Wednesday, March 13 at 2 p.m. ET - for a comprehensive webinar that will break down the importance of optimizing your business phone channel strategy. By doing this, you can ensure success on the phone channel while addressing the major changes within the telecom space. Businesses using the phone to contact leads and customers must adapt to the changes to stay compliant, and this webinar will explain how to do so from setup to execution.

In the webinar Number Reputation Optimization: Marketing Successfully on the Phone Channel in 2024, Gerry Christensen, head of Partnerships and Regulatory Compliance for Caller ID Reputation, will cover:

• Changes in the channel's landscape after the FCC's recent ruling
• How registration helps against number spoofing and brand impersonation
• What phone number monitoring looks like
• How optimized organizations approach number management
• How to handle the inevitable: flagged numbers, fraud and remediation

Even if you're unable to attend the live event, please register so you can receive the link to watch the webinar on-demand at a later date. 

FCC Issues Formal Notice: April Final Full Month of ACP Program

The FCC formally notified Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) providers that, due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, the agency will only be able to fully fund the program through April 2024.

Also, in a letter to congressional leaders, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urged immediate action before the program runs out of funds and participating households no longer receive the full ACP benefit. The letter also highlighted the immediate impact that the ACP enrollment freeze has had on households wishing to enroll in the program but are now unable to do so. Over the past three years, Rosenworcel has been traveling the country, meeting with ACP recipients and digital navigators to understand first-hand how the program is making a difference.

The public notice issued by the agency follows the FCC’s release of survey data that showed more than two-thirds of ACP households had inconsistent or zero connectivity prior to enrolling in the program. The survey data also showed that more than three-quarters of ACP households will experience service disruptions if the program ends. A fact sheet summarizing the survey findings and the full survey results are available at fcc.gov/acp-survey.

Webinar About Wind Down on March 13

As part of its continued consumer education, the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) will host a webinar on March 13, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET. The briefing will be streamed live on the FCC website and recorded and archived for public viewing available at fcc.gov/acp. Registration is not required for this public event.

CGB’s Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division leadership will discuss the latest updates regarding the ACP wind down, the release of new consumer education materials, a review of the program’s consumer protections, and how to solicit support from the agency’s outreach and engagement teams to minimize consumer confusion.

FCC to Push for Increased Broadband Choice in MTEs

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced a plan to lower costs and address the lack of choice for broadband services available to households in apartments, condos, public housing and other multi-tenant buildings. Too often, tenants living in these households are forced to pay high prices with limited choices for internet or other services. The Chairwoman’s proposal would seek to eliminate “bulk billing” arrangements imposed on tenants that impose a specific broadband service provider for their household.

Specifically, the NPRM would propose banning bulk billing arrangements by which tenants are required to pay for broadband, cable, and satellite service provided by a specific communications provider, even if they do not wish to take the service or would prefer to use another provider. It proposes allowing tenants to opt out of bulk billing arrangements. The proposal would also increase competition for communications service in these buildings by making it more profitable for competitive providers to deploy service in buildings where it is currently too expensive to serve consumers because tenants are required to take a certain provider’s service. The FCC would also seek comment on other practices that may limit consumer choice in multi-unit buildings.

In a statement on the Chairwoman's plans. INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg said: "Consumers who live in apartment buildings should be able to choose their communications provider and opt out of a bulk contract signed by their landlord. No one should have to pay for the same service twice. We commend FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s leadership in bringing more competitive options to multi-tenant housing, driving more affordability and options for one third of Americans who live in these buildings." 

These new proposed rules continue a series of consumer-focused proposals to combat junk fees and support transparency for consumers. At its next Open Meeting, the FCC will vote on final rules to require cable and satellite TV providers to specify the “all-in” price clearly and prominently for video programming service in their promotional materials and on subscribers’ bills. The FCC also is preparing the upcoming launch of the mandatory Broadband Consumer Labels so that consumers can clearly see the price and quality of broadband they sign up and has proposed to eliminate early termination fees from cable and satellite TV providers.

NTIA Webinar on Connecting Minorities Program Set for March 13

NTIA’s Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives will host an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, March 13th at 3 p.m. ET to hear stories and share the latest on its Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program.

The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot (CMC) Program is a $268 million grant program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) for the purchase of broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel. The funding received by the colleges and universities allows these institutions of higher learning to positively impact the broadband capacity of their campuses, students and faculty, and surrounding anchor communities, assisting to close the digital divide and provide Internet for All.

This webinar will feature CMC grantees discussing lessons they have learned in implementing these grants and the impact the programs have made on the communities they are in.

To watch this webinar, register here.

Reps. Introduce Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced H.R. 7532, the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act, which focuses government resources on increasing transparency, oversight, and responsible use of federal AI systems while protecting the public’s privacy, civil rights and civil liberties. The bipartisan bill centrally codifies federal governance of agency AI systems, establishes new mechanisms for transparency and accountability, and consolidates and streamlines other existing AI laws.

Original cosponsors of the bill include Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).