Update on news from December 2019
Cox Communications Liable For $1 Billion In Damages For Copyright Infringement
A jury has found Cox Communications secondarily liable to the tune of $1 billion in damages for willful copyright infringement. The lawsuit was initiated by a group of recording companies in July 2018. The jury found Cox vicariously and contributorily infringed 10,017 works owned by the plaintiffs, and awarded $99,830.29 in statutory damages for each work infringed.
Blockchain of Things, Inc. Reaches Settlement With SEC Over Unregistered Initial Coin Offering, Must Pay $250,000 Fine
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Blockchain of Things, Inc. (BCOT) have agreed to a settlement over an initial coin offering. The SEC concluded that BCOT violated the Securities Act by offering and selling securities without having a registration statement filed or in effect with the SEC or qualifying for exemption from registration. BCOT must pay a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $250,000.00.
USDA ReConnect Program Broadband Funding Awards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $600 million ReConnect Pilot Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to construct broadband infrastructure in areas of rural America that lack access to broadband service. To date, USDA has provided awards for 25 projects totaling $229,630,148 in funding for high-speed broadband infrastructure in 17 U.S. states. The funded service areas include a total of 44,833 households.
National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier – News Update
An update on news about the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier.
USDA ReConnect Program Awards
To date, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made seven awards under its ReConnect Pilot Program, totaling $93,140,232 in broadband funding in nine states.
November 2019 News Update
An update on news from November 2019.
Connect America Fund Phase II Auction – News Update
Here is an update on news related to the FCC’s CAF Phase II auction.
FCC Announces Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force – Nominations For Working Groups Due December 3rd
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced the appointment of members to serve on the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. The Task Force will hold its first meeting on Monday, December 9, 2019, at 9:30am. Nominations for membership on one of the Task Force’s four working groups should be submitted to the FCC no later than December 3, 2019.
GAO Says FCC Should Make A-CAM Mandatory For All Rate-Of-Return Carriers As Part Of Antifraud Strategy
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a report on its investigation of potential fraud risk in the FCC’s universal service high-cost program that supports rate-of-return carriers. Among other things, the GAO report recommends that the FCC assess the A-CAM support mechanism to determine the extent to which it produces reliable cost estimates and consider making its use mandatory all for rate-of-return carriers.