#RuralisCool Newsletter | April 23, 2020

NTCA Legislative & Policy Virtual Conference Focuses on Current and Future Advocacy Priorities

NTCA hosted its first-ever virtual Legislative & Policy Conference on Tuesday, April 21, with 350 participants from member companies. In addition to video greetings from members of Congress and a 2020 election forecast, attendees heard from FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, senior FCC staffers, bipartisan congressional staffers, as well as from NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield and NTCA government affairs staff.

After praising NTCA members for their efforts to keep Americans connected, Commissioner Starks spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic is bringing internet inequality to the public’s attention. This, he stated, shows how important accurate mapping will be in reaching unserved groups through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), and the need for accountability in making sure that networks are built to last and that promises made by funding recipients are kept. With the unemployment rate spiking to 20 percent due to the pandemic, Starks said he wants to work with existing federal programs to help low-income households purchase broadband.

The congressional staff panel discussed COVID-19 stimulus bills and other issues of interest to members. While the panelists agreed that broadband should be included in any infrastructure bill, they see very little chance for such a large piece of legislation to pass in an election year. Additionally, panelists said neither party is eager to tackle Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions reform in an election year and during a pandemic where affordability is a sensitive topic.

NTCA staff also updated members on the association’s federal priorities, including securing more cosponsors for the Keeping Critical Connections Act, ensuring cooperatives can participate in the Payroll Protection Program, building future-proof networks through RDOF, and USF contribution reform. To learn more about how you can contact your representatives to cosponsor NTCA’s legislative priorities or to get issue fact sheets, please visit the NTCA Advocacy Action Center.
 

Surveys: NTCA Members Are Maintaining Strong Networks and Services Despite COVID-19 Pandemic

Surveys conducted recently by NTCA help to capture how members continue to operate their networks and delivering services in the face of the coronavirus emergency.

With respect to network operations, in a survey that concluded April 13,  145 providers from 38 states serving more than 650,000 broadband customers reported that their networks continue to perform as designed and without disruption despite changes and increases in demand. Key findings from the network status survey responses include:

• From March 13 (the date that a national emergency was declared) through the dates of their responses, members indicated on average their networks experienced:
  • 23.1% increase in overall downstream bandwidth demand
  • 23.8% increase in overall upstream bandwidth demand
  • 21.4% increase in peak downstream bandwidth demand
  • 21.4% increase in peak upstream bandwidth demand
• An overwhelming majority of respondents (93%) indicated no material shift in peak utilization windows, but nearly all respondents stated that the average utilization of their networks is much higher over the course of the day.
• More than 40% of respondents reported taking steps since March 13 to augment capacity on middle mile, transit, or other backhaul connections to anticipate and accommodate increased overall demand, but there have been no reports of congestion or disruption arising out of the increased demand.

In a separate survey conducted jointly by NTCA and the National Conference of State Telecommunications Association Executives, more than 200 providers in more than 30 states reported on their efforts to continue installing, repairing, and deploying broadband networks and services, as well as the status of customer payments and state mandates with respect to disconnection of services in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.  Key findings from the survey, which closed on April 15, include:

Installations

• While just over 30% of companies continue to enter customer premises for installations of all kinds, 25% of respondents have stopped entering premises altogether for installation activity and many have adopted policies to enter customer premises only for certain kinds of installations.
  • Of those that have implemented restrictions with respect to in-premises installations:
    • Just over 30% of providers reported ceasing in-premises installation of either voice or broadband services, while nearly 50% have ceased entering homes to install video services; and
    • Nearly 90% indicated that customers are mostly understanding, while only 1% of respondents reported that customers are mostly upset about the revised entry policies.
• Of those companies that have imposed some restrictions on entering customer premises to conduct some or all installation activities, the vast majority (85%) indicated that they have implemented alternative procedures, such as video conferencing, communication from outside the premises through open doors or windows, or “self-installation” kits, to enable continued installation activities.

Repairs

• Just over two-thirds of companies continue to enter customer premises for at least some repair functions, although just over 20% have ceased entering customer premises altogether for repairs.
  • Of those that have implemented restrictions of some kind with respect to in-premises installations, approximately 30% of providers reported they no longer enter customers’ homes for repairs of either voice or broadband services, while nearly 40% have ceased entering homes to repair video services.
  • Providers stated that, as in the case of installations, they are using techniques such as videoconferencing, telephone calls, or communications through open door or windows from outside the premises to assist with trouble calls.

Construction Activities

• More than 90% of respondents indicated that, especially in the face of increased consumer interest and demand, they plan to carry on with network deployment and construction activities in coming months.
  • Of those planning to start construction in the next several weeks, nearly 70% stated that each of their “mainline fiber,” “fiber drop,” and fixed wireless deployment projects remain on schedule.
  • Common reasons cited for any delays include (in order of times cited) supply chain concerns, restrictions on travel, and permitting.

Customer Payment Trends

• Since March 13, more than 40% of respondents have seen an increase of between 1% and 10% in uncollectibles, while nearly 14% reported increases between 11% and 20%.  Nearly 25% have seen no increase in uncollectibles since that date, while nearly 20% stated that they could not determine uncollectibles yet since that date due to billing cycles.

Disconnection Policies

• Over 60% of respondents indicated that their state has adopted mandates or articulated moratoriums with respect to disconnections of certain services during the COVID-19 crisis.
   

FEMA Releases PPE Fact Sheet, NTCA to Distribute Cloth Masks to Members in Need

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a fact sheet detailing how companies should manage their personal protective equipment (PPE) while supplies are limited amidst the pandemic, and how to acquire and request PPE. The guidance summarizes how organizations should consider and manage their PPE needs while ensuring the protection of workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic response, including preservation strategies for non-healthcare settings. Recognizing the challenges that members continue to face in keeping employees safe and customers connected, NTCA has continued to engage with federal policymakers and emergency management officials to ensure small rural providers have the tools and resources they need to perform.

In addition to frequent interaction to seek relief from certain deadlines and address the challenges that smaller operators may face financially if an increasing amount of customers become unable to pay bills, NTCA was pleased to be notified that, through its work with the Communications Sector Coordinating Council, it will receive more than 70,000 cloth masks from FEMA to be redistributed as soon as possible to telco members to help protect their employees as they go about their essential work.

NTCA members receiving masks were notified via email and will be updated as the shipment is received and dispersed in the coming week.

For more COVID-19 resources, please visit our Coronavirus Resource Center at www.ntca.org/COVID19.
 

CyberShare Product Created for Small Operators Highlighted During Pandemic

Rural broadband providers are working overtime to manage their networks as well as customers’ networks. Millions of Americans are teleworking, students are going to school online, and telemedicine is increasing—making the security of NTCA members’ networks a growing priority.

Just last month, as reported by Bloomberg News and The Hill, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was attacked by hackers as the agency worked on responding to the coronavirus pandemic. While news sources report that the hackers were unable to steal anything, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, “…cyberattacks are massive weapons to kick opponents when they’re down. At a time when Americans face uncertainty and fear from coronavirus, we should expect an increase in cyberattacks and stay vigilant.”

Also, the World Economic Forum warns that, “As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt global health, economic, political and social systems, there's another unseen threat rising in the digital space: the risk of cyberattacks that prey on our increased reliance on digital tools and the uncertainty of the crisis.”

The fact that HHS is a massive federal agency does not mean that companies like small telecom operators cannot also be targets. According to CNBC, “Forty-three percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves...” Additionally, “more than half of all small businesses suffered a breach within the last year.”

CyberShare is a product that NTCA created just for small broadband providers. Based on a 2019 pilot program NTCA conducted after receiving an award administered by the National Institute of Hometown Security and funded, in part, by the Department of Homeland Security, CyberShare provides high-quality indicators of attacks as well as actionable threat information. The program will offer subscribers several critical tools in terms of risk management alerts and news, peer-to-peer sharing and networking access to experts that small providers might not otherwise have. 

CyberShare subscribers have access to daily and weekly reports, in-person and virtual meetings and a secure web platform. Participants will be part of a trusted community for local and regional telecommunications operators to collaborate and improve their security posture.For more information about CyberShare, including pricing and subscription information, please visit cyber-share.org or email [email protected].

Notes in the News

The FCC held an online Open Meeting on April 23 to consider proposed rules and an order to establish a 5G fund for rural America, with up to $9 billion in funding being awarded over 10 years.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin have expressed their desire to fund rural broadband as part of a fourth coronavirus stimulus package focused on infrastructure.

NTCA joined other stakeholders in a letter urging Congress not to allow T-Mobile to receive COVID-19 recovery funds to meet prior commitments it promised to state and federal regulators when seeking to merge with Sprint.

Attorneys General from 27 U.S. states and territories sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking him to direct telecom companies to do more to keep Americans connected by extending the 60-day pledge to not terminate service by an additional 90 days, and to provide reasonable payment plans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will use the $100 million allocated for the ReConnect program in the CARES Act to fund qualified 100% grant projects in the second round of the ReConnect program that did not receive funding in round one. USDA also announced that it has received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in funding in the second round of the ReConnect Pilot Program and that it has opened a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program. Electronic applications for window two may be submitted through grants.gov and are due no later than July 13, 2020.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) introduced the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020, which would create a $2 billion emergency fund that the FCC can disperse to public and tribal schools and libraries to purchase routers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other connection devices for students and residents.

The FCC announced that it will host a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) webinar on May 20, 2020, focused on issues in Auction 904 that would affect state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments.