Page 104 - SAMENA Trends - Oct-Nov 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

FCC Approves Strong Digital Discrimination Rules

order, the commission will also begin an order implementing the 2022 Safe
accepting comments on establishing Connections Act, a law aimed at protecting
a civil rights office within the agency the privacy of abuse survivors. The
and imposing additional reporting and order requires mobile providers to allow
compliance requirements on broadband domestic abuse victims to quickly separate
providers. The commission was required phone lines from family plans. It also
by the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs requires providers to omit from customer-
Act to develop policies to prevent gaps facing logs any records of calls or texts
in broadband access among different to abuse hotlines. Large and medium-
races, ethnicities, income levels, and other sized providers will have 12 months to
demographic characteristics – known as comply with these requirements, while
digital discrimination. Its adoption of those small carriers will have 18 months. Abuse
rules comes on the two-year anniversary of survivors will be able to receive six months
the IIJA, the deadline set by the law. In an of support from the FCC’s Lifeline program,
update to the public draft that was released a monthly internet discount funded by the
The Federal Communications Commission in October, the approved rules exempt Universal Service Fund. The commission
approved digital discrimination rules providers participating in the $42.5 billion voted to move forward with a notice of
Wednesday that will take a tougher tack on Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment inquiry on using artificial intelligence to
companies providing disparate broadband program and the FCC’s Universal Service prevent robocalls. Commissioners will
services, scrutinizing policies that are not Fund. The policies of those programs, seek comment on which AI technologies
intentionally denying service to protected commissioners said, already prevent are relevant to the FCC’s authority to
groups. The FCC has said in its approved disparate deployment in service areas that protect consumers from scam calls. That
rules it will accept legitimate logistic are difficult or expensive to reach. Industry will include feedback on how AI could
and economic barriers as defenses from groups have been lobbying against the be used to help the commission combat
companies accused of discriminatory rules, meeting with commission staff robocalls, and on how it could be used by
practices, and will evaluate those claims repeatedly in recent weeks to advocate bad actors to facilitate those calls now and
on a case-by-case basis. Companies a lighter touch. Civil rights groups have in the future. The move comes as the FCC
found to be in violation of the new rules applauded it, making a push of their has taken an aggressive stance on scam
will be subject to the commission’s own to urge commissioners to stand calls, moving in October to block call traffic
existing enforcement measures. The firm. The Joe Biden administration also from 20 companies for lax enforcement
measure, proposed in October, passed supports the rules, asking commissioners policies and extending in August strong
on party lines, with the three Democratic to adopt a similar digital discrimination identity verification requirements to a wider
commissioners voting in approval and the framework weeks before Rosenworcel’s array of voice providers. It will also seek
two Republicans dissenting. “Many of the announcement. The commission approved input on verifying AI-generated voices and
communities that lack adequate access additional measures at its November 15 texts from callers or trustworthy entities
to broadband today are the same areas open meeting, including an order aimed at legitimately using such tools. The FCC
that suffered from longstanding patterns protecting victims of domestic violence, an also voted to adopt an order addressing
of residential segregation and economic inquiry into artificial intelligence’s impact two common cell phone scams: SIM swap
disadvantage,” said FCC Chairwoman on robocalls, and an order addressing SIM fraud and port-out fraud.
Jessica Rosenworcel. In adopting the swap fraud. The commission adopted

Hong Kong’s VTL Bought by China Everbright

Village Telephone Limited (VTL), a Hong will strengthen its business and ‘improve fiber networks in more than 500 village
Kong telco which specializes in laying its service and management quality and areas of Hong Kong, with services offered
fiber network infrastructure in rural achieve steady progress in its overall to end users by third-party telco partners
areas of the territory, has announced operations, enabling it to provide better including HGC Global Communications and
its acquisition by Everbright Overseas and more stable services to customers’. Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN).
Investment Infrastructure Fund, part of Financial details were not disclosed. Mobile operators also use its networks for
Hong Kong-registered investment group Established in 2017, wholesale operator backhaul connectivity.
China Everbright. VTL says the transaction VTL has so far deployed gigabit-capable

104 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023