Public Notice

Section 9203 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA 21) calls for the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit a report to Congress containing a plan for the modernization and automation of the NTIA infrastructure relating to managing federal spectrum use by covered agencies, to more efficiently manage such use. This provides the modernization plan and addresses the topics called out in the NDAA 21.

In response to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau has waived certain Lifeline program rules in eight previous orders to provide necessary relief for low-income households. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt by many Americans. The importance of access to affordable communications services for low-income consumers has been underscored by the pandemic and its long-lasting impact.

In view of outstanding demand, the Federal Communications Commission will open a second Emergency Connectivity Fund application filing window from September 28, 2021 to October 13, 2021.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau, in conjunction with the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and the Office of Economics and Analytics, authorized Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support for 466 identified winning bids. The FCC will also soon post a state-level summary on the Auction 904 webpage.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Managing Director (OMD) announces that the proposed universal service contribution factor for the fourth quarter of 2021 will be 0.291 or 29.1 percent. The Universal Service Administrative Company submitted projected collected end-user telecommunications revenues for October 2021 through December 2021 based on information contained in the Fourth Quarter 2021 Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet—Total Projected Collected Interstate and International End-User Telecommunications Revenues for Fourth Quarter 2021: $9.517295 billion. 

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks nominations for a position on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) representing commercial mobile radio service providers (position formerly held by Matt B. Gerst). All nominations must be filed with the Office of the Secretary by November 8, 2021.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public comment on a direct final rule to help expand access to capital to deploy broadband infrastructure in rural areas. The changes apply to USDA’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees program and are in accordance with the provisions of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill). The Telecommunications Infrastructure Loans and Loan Guarantees program provides investment capital to eligible entities to help deploy telecommunications infrastructure, including broadband facilities in rural areas.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau seeks nominations for the following Board member positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) listed below for a three-year term.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program, which will direct $268 million for expanding broadband access and connectivity to eligible Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), minority-serving institutions (MSIs), and consortia led by an HBCU, TCU, or MSI that also include a minority business enterprise or tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. The Notice of Funding Opportunity 

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announces updated minimum service standards for Lifeline-supported services as required by the 2016 Lifeline Order. Absent action, beginning December 1, 2021, the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity will increase to 18 GB per month pursuant to the calculations set out in the FCC’s rules and the 2016 Lifeline Order. The Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile voice service will remain unchanged, at 1000 minutes per month.