Offshore NOI OK'd 4-0; FCC Buildings to Reopen to Visitors
FCC commissioners approved a notice of inquiry 4-0 Wednesday on how to facilitate access to spectrum for offshore uses and operations. FCC officials said, as expected, there were no major changes over what was circulated three weeks ago by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2206030029). Commissioners also adopted an NPRM before the meeting that seeks comment on a statutory requirement to collect annual data on the price and subscription rates of internet offerings through the affordable connectivity program (see 2206020058). The item wasn’t published Wednesday.
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But for most FCC watchers, Rosenworcel saved the biggest news for last, announcing at the end of the meeting the FCC will reopen to the public Thursday, with the July 14 meeting in-person for staff and the public (see 2206080025). The FCC later released a notice on the reopening of the building, and other FCC facilities.
“We … swapped out the wharf for NoMa and the L'Enfant Plaza food court for the one at Union Station,” Rosenworcel said. “The people and the mission at the FCC are the same, and we are excited to see familiar faces and some new ones in these halls in the coming months,” she said. The FCC has been closed to the public since March 2020. The FCC’s new headquarters is located in NoMa, the area north of Massachusetts Avenue.
The CDC rates Washington, D.C., as a medium-risk area for COVID-19 community transmission, with some bedroom communities surrounding D.C. rated as high risk. “These are complex decisions” informed by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force’s recommendations on reopening, Rosenworcel told reporters. The FCC also has its own task force.
“Two years into this pandemic, we have more information about it and more information about how to manage in these circumstances,” Rosenworcel said. “All of this is conditions permitting,” she said: “If there are substantial changes in COVID transmission … we’ll have to make adjustments because the safety and health of our staff is a top priority.”
The FCC notice said all visitors must have a scheduled meeting and be accompanied around the building. “When visiting FCC facilities located in a county where the COVID-19 Community Level is MEDIUM or HIGH complete a Certification of Vaccination form attesting that they are fully vaccinated -- or -- present a negative COVID-19 test result from an approved test taken in the three days prior to entry,” the notice says.
FCC officials said the offshore item changed little since it was circulated. “There were some minor changes to increase the scope of the questions that we asked, but there were no substantive changes,” Charles Mathias, deputy chief of the Wireless Bureau, told reporters.
Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks highlighted how the NOI could support another administration priority, spurring the development of clean energy.
“This can help the development of offshore wind farms that can harness wind over water and convert it to renewable electricity,” Rosenworcel said: “It can mean improved tsunami warning systems with sensors that help predict and manage natural disasters. It can lead to more opportunities to keep tabs on aquatic animals to better understand the state of marine life. And it can also provide public safety with further control of drones assisting with offshore search and rescue missions.”
The FCC “takes an important step toward ensuring that our rules work for a clean energy economy,” Starks said. “By 2030, the federal government is targeting at least 30 gigawatts in offshore wind capacity, more than 1,000 times 2019 deployments, yet still a small fraction of our total potential,” he said: “States from North Carolina up to Massachusetts have upped the ante with targets that, in the aggregate, exceed the federal amount. Real scale is on the horizon, and each project will rely on wireless in one form or another.”
Commissioner Nathan Simington noted the NOI also looks at private networks. “From the ongoing growth of IoT devices, to ground-penetrating radar and wireless charging, we continue to see a welcome torrent of ground-breaking tools that require new spectrum and models to operate,” he said.
Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a 2019 trip he saw “firsthand the connectivity needs” of an oil production platform off the shore of Texas. Carr said he was briefed on how producers are using 600 and 700 MHz and the FCC should look at how to “help support increased connectivity” offshore especially in light of rising gasoline prices.
“The new FCC proceeding” is “an important step toward the U.S. increasing its access to sustainable energy for a greener planet,” Nokia said in a statement. "The Nokia Wind Farm wireless solution provides mission-critical reliability and low-latency, broadband connectivity for connecting workers, sensors, cameras, and turbines. Nokia already has implemented this solution for offshore wind platforms in other regions of the globe and we look forward to providing the solution in the U.S. to achieve a more sustainable energy future.”