AT&T’s Wisconsin Bell Settles Whistleblower Case for $55 Million
On March 12, 2026, Wisconsin Bell, an AT&T subsidiary, agreed to pay $55 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit.
FCC Requires Circumstances Outside Petitioners’ Control to Satisfy E-Rate “Extraordinary Circumstances Standard” for Late-Filed Invoices
On February 17, 2026, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) issued an order granting appeals for applicants whose requests for reimbursement were late-filed, despite being submitted before the USAC-generated invoice filing deadline.
FCC Grants Waiver of RHC Invoice Filing Deadline Where HCPs are Unable or Unwilling to Provide Service Delivery Certifications
On February 4, 2026, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) released an order granting an appeal filed by ENA Healthcare.
SAM.gov and UEI Invoicing Required as of August 2026 for Service Providers and E-Rate BEAR Filers
USAC will begin using the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) banking information to pay all Universal Service Fund (USF) invoices in August 2026.
E-Rate In-Person Training Dates Announced: September 15 and 24
In its February news brief, USAC announced that in-person training for the E-Rate program will take place on September 15, 2026 in Phoenix and on September 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. USAC will provide information on registration for these events in a future news brief.
Annual CPNI Certifications Due March 2
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau issued an advisory on February 11, 2026, reminding all telecommunications carriers and interconnected VoIP providers of their obligation to file their annual certification documenting compliance with the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules by March 2, 2026.
President Trump Issues Executive Order on AI
On December 11, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (Order) to promote artificial intelligence (AI) and block states from enforcing laws to regulate AI.
