 |
 |
||
|
|
||
New FCC Fraud Division Focuses on USF ProgramsBroadband World News, , 2/6/2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Federal Communications Commission members voted recently to create a Fraud Division within its Enforcement Bureau. The action codifies and reiterates the importance of ongoing work by FCC enforcement staff to combat misuse of taxpayer funds. The new Fraud Division will be dedicated to investigating and prosecuting fraud in the Universal Service Fund (USF). The team will work closely with the FCC's Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and other law enforcement agencies to prosecute unlawful conduct. The Fraud Division will be established following review and approval by the Office of Management and Budget and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as publication of the Order in the Federal Register. The FCC released the news on Feb. 5. USF features four programs: (1) the High Cost program, which provides financial support to eligible telecommunications carriers serving high cost areas; (2) the Schools and Libraries Program (also known as E-Rate), which delivers discounted communications services to eligible schools and libraries; (3) the low-income program (aka Lifeline), designed to help low-income consumers pay for telephone and broadband services; and (4) the Rural Health Care Program, which gives discounted telecommunications and broadband services to rural healthcare providers. The Commission is responsible for implementing and overseeing the USF. The FCC has strong rules against the misuse of funds in these programs. The Enforcement Bureau is tasked with pursuing those that fail to abide by those rules. Among its recent USF-related enforcement actions, the Commission proposed a fine of more than $63 million against American Broadband for apparent large-scale violations in the Lifeline program, including apparently creating fake accounts by enrolling deceased individuals and manipulating the personal information of existing Lifeline subscribers. The Commission also recently proposed an $18.7 million fine against DataConnex for apparently defrauding the Rural Health Care Program, including apparent use of forged, false, misleading, and unsubstantiated documents to improperly seek funding from the Fund. |
Latest Articles
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half-days in mid-March.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
Ziply Fiber, an operator that tangles with Comcast and Charter, has launched two multi-gigabit tiers in 60 urban areas, aiming for all markets by Q2 2022.
Elon Musk's nascent broadband will need to radically accelerate the rate of satellite launches – and navigate tricky supply chain logistics – if it's going to come close to fulfilling its global ambition.
Industry Announcements
 Twitter Feed Information Resources>>
 WebinarsARCHIVED
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
12:00 p.m. New York Did you know that fiber network expansion is the top priority of service providers over the next five years according to Heavy Reading’s recently published State of the Service Provider Report*? With this rapid expansion comes increased competition. Like many service providers, you may be feeling the pressure to differentiate your brand. Service innovation is your opportunity to stand out.
|
|
|
||
