In-Person FCC Meetings Starting but Could Take Time to Grow in Number

For now, FCC staffers are allowed to continue to work remotely if they choose. A spokesperson for the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents FCC workers, emailed that FCC remains in “Phase 3 with no announced date for a return to the office.” Phase 3 is “flexible telework” and the last phase in the agency’s reentry plan before the FCC resumes phase 4 -- pre-COVID-19 in-office operations (see 2204060064).

Some members of the telecom bar said Friday they expect a growing number of lobbyists will ask for in-person meetings. Others predicted virtual meetings are here to stay, especially while COVID-19 infection rates remain high in the capital region. Rosenworcel said Wednesday the FCC was closing monitoring the status of virus and would adjust rules if needed to protect staff.

“The FCC commissioner offices and bureaus are still offering virtual meetings for July, and many FCC staff say they prefer virtual meetings,” said a longtime wireless lawyer. The meetings “require less travel time, are easier to organize and there’s less time lost shepherding groups in and out of the conference rooms, and waiting for the full group to assemble,” the lawyer said.

RS Access CEO Noah Campbell, who's seeking FCC action on 12 GHz for 5G, told us Friday he will be in Washington, D.C., this week and has already scheduled live meetings at the FCC.

People want to meet in person “if only because they miss the personal interaction and are tired of looking at screens,” said Harris Wiltshire’s Scott Harris. “In-person meetings are more useful for all concerned since in-person discussions seem more natural and free-flowing than video discussions,” he said.

“The Washington FCC lawyer/lobbying crowd loves the in-person meetings, and it also helps you show your skills in front of your clients better,” emailed Fletcher Heald’s Francisco Montero. “Look at the uptick in in-person events from the NAB Show to the Service to America Awards and the state broadcast association conventions, all of which have just exploded this spring,” he said: “People want to get out and interact. While that could stimulate activity at the FCC we also hear that the Commission is very backed up, and I think there will still be many at the FCC that telework part of the time.”

"People are excited and eager to see each other in person," emailed FCBA President Megan Stull. "Plenty of advocates will be looking to schedule meetings at the new FCC headquarters," though don't expect a quick return to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face contact, said Stull, Google senior counsel. "Video meeting technologies allow people to meet with government agencies like the FCC while experiencing less of a budgetary impact," she said. "Conferencing technologies lower travel expenses and increase efficiency. Indeed, the FCBA has experienced tremendous benefits from virtual programming because we can more freely connect and interact with members in our eleven chapters across the country." She said employers updating their travel and meeting policies will take time. "There will be an uptick in in-person meetings to be sure, but I am not certain how long it will take to return to pre-pandemic conditions," she said.

"It’s hard to replace the ability to interact with FCC leadership and staff in person," emailed NAB Executive Vice President-Legal and Regulatory Affairs Rick Kaplan. The agency "should still be open to virtual meetings as well, as it has proven very helpful as a means to engaging stakeholders across the country, instead of only those who live and/or work in DC or can afford to fly to DC for a meeting. I know that broadcasters across the country would appreciate having the option to meet in person or virtually to ensure their voice is heard."

“No one knows and everyone will find out,” said Andrew Schwartzman, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society senior counselor. “If many staffers are going to work remotely for much of the time, it reduces the value of in-person meetings.” Schwartzman said meetings with commissioner aides are likely to resume at FCC headquarters the soonest. “Allowing the public to attend the monthly meetings probably means that the press briefings will now be accessible to the public,” he said: “The commission's discontinuance of the streaming of the press briefing was an insult to transparency, and making them accessible to all is much more consistent with the First Amendment.”

For returning to a world of in-person meetings, the workplace should focus on addressing indoor air quality, such as through use of indoor filtration systems using MERV 13 filters or ultraviolet light treatment, said Sabrina McCormick, George Washington University associate professor-environmental and occupational health. Both options are expensive, she said. Individuals' focus should be on masking, which is effective in reducing viral exposure, she said. All marks are not equal, with cloth masks being largely ineffective and people should use surgical masks at a minimum, she said. Distancing or spacing has limited utility when people are gathered in an office or conference room for several minutes, she said.

Various federal regulatory agencies have been reopened to the public for weeks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesperson emailed us that the Labor Department's headquarters reopened to staff and the public May 2 and OSHA has done meetings in person, virtually and in combination. An FAA spokesperson emailed that with its headquarters open to the public, "in-person meetings for administrative proceedings occur within the building as needed and in compliance with all relevant regulations and policies."

"While the number of in-person meetings is increasing, the FAA continues to facilitate videoconferencing to support public involvement," the spokesperson said. An EPA spokesperson emailed that it has had fewer in-person meetings than before the pandemic. She said EPA has a workplace safety plan with COVID-19 guidance and protocols to support in-person meetings. The FTC didn't comment.