Marlene Dortch

Twice a year, in spring and fall, the Federal Communications Commission publishes a list in the Unified Agenda of those major items and other significant proceedings under development or review. Items listed here include:

In this Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), the Federal Communications Commission proposes a penalty of $62,000,000 against Q Link Wireless for apparently violating provisions of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act and FCC rules and orders governing the reimbursements it claimed for providing Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program customers with internet-connected devices between December 2021 and March 2022. Because of these apparent violations, which involved overclaiming support for hundreds of thousands of computer tablets, Q Link apparently obtained at least $20,792,800 in impr

The Federal Communications Commission released an Order adopting the plan to establish a Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs. The planned reorganization will better support the needs of the growing satellite industry, promote long-term technical capacity at the FCC, and help the agency navigate 21st century global communications policy. As part of this plan, the agency will be eliminating the current International Bureau and incorporating that team into the new bureau and office.

The Federal Communications Commission launched a proceeding to strengthen rules for notifying customers and federal law enforcement of breaches of customer proprietary network information (CPNI). The FCC will look to better align its rules with recent developments in federal and state data breach laws covering other sectors. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking launches a formal proceeding to gather information on this important issue and also take comment on rule changes proposed by the FCC. The FCC seeks to better address telecommunications carriers’ breach notification requirements.

In this Order, the Federal Communications Commission takes another step in its efforts to implement the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) and modernize the FCC Form 477 data program.

The Federal Communications Commission appointed Burt Cohen, Staff Attorney and Broadband Coordinator for the State of Connecticut, Office of Consumer Counsel, to serve as the State Consumer Advocate representative on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. This appointment fills the position recently vacated by the William “Bill” Vallee of the Connecticut State Office of Consumer Counsel. 

The Federal Communications Commission modified the cost recovery rules for funding two forms of Internet-based telecommunications relay services (TRS)—video relay service (VRS) and Internet Protocol Relay Service (IP Relay). The FCC expanded the Interstate TRS Fund contribution base for support of those services to include intrastate as well as interstate end-user revenues of TRS Fund contributors, ensuring fair treatment of intrastate and interstate communications services and users in the funding of relay services.

The Federal Communications Commission has initiated a proceeding seeking comment on issues related to the future of the Universal Service Fund in light of the broadband investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Infrastructure Act includes the largest ever federal investment in broadband, totaling approximately $65 billion.

The Federal Communications Commission proposes to add a new system of records, FCC/WCB–4, Consumer Challenge Process, to its inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974. The Consumer Challenge Process system of records contains personally identifiable information (PII) submitted by individuals, or third parties on behalf of individuals, needed to establish eligibility to challenge the accuracy of Participants’ submissions, provide sufficient information for Participants to respond to a challenge, and create accurate maps of Participant coverage or eligible locations.

A Federal Communications Commission notice published in the Federal Register announced the reestablishment of four computer matching programs the FCC and Universal Service Administrative Company will conduct with Missouri’s Department of Social Services, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, and Tennessee’s Department of Human Services.  The purpose of these particular matching programs is to verify Lifeline eligibility by establishing that applicants or subscribers in Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are