Tech & Telecom Weekly - January 18, 2022

Welcome to the Tech & Telecom Weekly, an e-newsletter keeping you apprised of the latest developments in the telecommunications and high-tech industries.

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FCC Policy

On January 14, 2022, the FCC adopted rules for the administration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which is the follow-on initiative to the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The $14.2 Billion fund, established in the Infrastructure, Investment & Jobs Act of 2021, will give qualifying U.S. households up to $30 per month to pay for broadband service, with residences on Tribal lands receiving up to $75 per month. For more information, please contact Stephanie Joyce.

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Compliance Alerts

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will hold a webinar on January 20, 2022, at 2:00pm ET to assist companies participating in the Connect America Fund (CAF) programs with preparing their broadband deployment data reports that are due March 1, 2022. Those reports must be filed via the USAC High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal. Interested persons can register for the webinar here.

FCC Form 499-Q is due February 1, 2022, for all filers that are not considered de minimis for Universal Service contribution purposes. The filing must report revenues from the 4th quarter of 2021, and projected revenues for the 2nd quarter of 2022. The 499-Q must be filed through the USAC online portal.

For more information about compliance matters, please contact Katherine Barker Marshall.

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FTC Items

The next FTC Open Meeting will be held January 20, 2022, at 1:00pm ET. The agenda presently contains one item: a Staff presentation on consumer resources for combatting identity theft, including initiatives to be launched during the upcoming Identity Theft Awareness Week. The meeting will be conducted virtually. Consumers may register by 8:00pm ET today to address the meeting for up to two minutes each. For more information, please contact Stephanie Joyce.

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Legislative Affairs

The House Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Cleaning up Cryptocurrency: The Energy Impacts of Blockchains” on January 20, 2022, at 10:30am ET. Scheduled witnesses include John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing, Inc., and Brian Brooks, CEO of BitFury. The hearing will be held remotely and live-streamed from the Committee webpage. For more information, please contact Stephanie Joyce.

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