Today’s Regulatory Mix: FCC Issues Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Reminder, Texas House Bill Would Raise Wireless Monthly Surcharge
FCC Issues Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Reminder
Providers participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program) can begin enrolling customers as of May 12, 2021. In advance of this date, the FCC issued an advisory reminding providers about EBB Program rules, including obtaining customer’s affirmative consent to participate in the EBB Program. In addition, customers must pay a portion of the cost of a connected device subsidized by the EBB Program. According to the advisory, “Circumventing this rule by conjuring a ‘credit’ in lieu of a customer payment or otherwise offering a connected device free of charge is contrary to the policy of requiring households receiving subsidized connected devices to have an ownership stake in the devices.”
Texas House Bill Would Raise Wireless Monthly Surcharge
The Texas House passed HB 2911, which would increase the monthly surcharge assessed wireless services from 50 cents to 75 cents per month. The increase would fund next-generation services throughout the state, targeted for September 1, 2025, as well as improving automatic number and location identification.
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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.
Recent Briefings from Inteserra!
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