Apple representatives urged approval of revised 6 GHz rules allowing very-low-power devices at 14 dBm effective isotropic radiated power, in a call with FCC Chief Technology Officer Monisha Ghosh. “This power level is essential to ensuring that VLP devices are functional in typical high body loss cases,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. “Allowing 6 GHz mobile standard-power access points in the U-NII-5 and U-NII-7 bands controlled by Automatic Frequency Coordination systems will provide significant benefits while protecting incumbents.” Verizon asked aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks to act on its petition for reconsideration seeking higher power for unlicensed standard-power 6 GHz access points subject to AFC control (see 2011030021). Southern Co. raised 6 GHz interference concerns. A recent cable industry study “underestimates the number of Very Low Power devices, their transmissions, and a variety of other link budget parameters to falsely support the claims that licensed fixed microwave systems would be protected from harmful interference,” the utility said. NAB raised concerns about proposed test procedures for unlicensed devices in the band, speaking with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. It’s “unclear what division of OET was making final determinations on those procedures, which is troubling given that the Laboratory Division’s draft publication appears to include arbitrary requirements that are not found in the Commission’s order in this proceeding and will fail to protect licensed users of the band,” NAB said. The FCC didn't comment.
The FCC can't “lawfully” act on an iconectiv petition seeking a competitive bidding process for selecting a toll-free numbering administrator (see 2006300003) without first issuing an NPRM, Somos said. Somos representatives spoke with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai and staffers from the Wireline Bureau and Office of General Counsel, said a Tuesday posting in docket 20-174. “Neither the NPRM issued in 2017 (which primarily dealt with a prospective Toll-Free Number auction) nor the comments filed in response to that earlier NPRM addressed the issues that the iconectiv petition seeks to raise,” Somos said. “The current mechanisms for promoting competition in the Toll-Free Number ecosystem and for ensuring just and reasonable rates for the tariffed services that Somos provides have been effective.” Somos is "attempting to divert the Commission's attention from the foundation of iconectiv’s petition," a spokesperson for iconectiv emailed Wednesday: "Eliminating the existing tariff would lead to significant cost-savings for the telecommunications industry and consumers in that it will reduce the rate burden on the entire toll-free ecosystem and add critical transparency around service quality, transition preparedness, system security and similar issues, all of which are hallmarks of modern government contracts."
In the Oct. 28 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 54, No. 42), CBP published notices that propose to revoke rulings and similar treatment for distillation refining modules and range extenders.
The FCC should end more than a decade of indecision about giving states access to the network outage reporting system (NORS), said current and former state commissioners in interviews last week. NARUC will vote at its annual meeting Thursday-Friday and Nov. 9-11 on proposed resolutions asking the FCC to grant a 2009 California Public Utilities Commission petition to share NORS information and urging state legislatures to authorize commissions to reduce intrastate inmate calling service (ICS) rates to cost-based prices. NARUC will consider the resolutions just days after a presidential election that might change control of the FCC in 2021.
A Trump administration executive order creating a new classification of “policy-making” employees could mean many in the federal workforce lose civil service protection, while those with political ties are given their jobs, experts told us. The order would make it easier to get rid of staffers without the usual process and protections but could also allow the administration to burrow political appointees into the civil service quickly, and on an unusually large scale, the experts said. The implications for the FCC, NTIA and FTC, and whether it will mean widespread disruptions after the election, remain to be seen.
A Trump administration executive order creating a new classification of “policy-making” employees could mean many in the federal workforce lose civil service protection, while those with political ties are given their jobs, experts told us. The order would make it easier to get rid of staffers without the usual process and protections but could also allow the administration to burrow political appointees into the civil service quickly, and on an unusually large scale, the experts said. The implications for the FCC, NTIA and FTC, and whether it will mean widespread disruptions after the election, remain to be seen.
The FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee delayed until December a final report on adoption after members raised questions Thursday. BDAC had what turned into an all-day meeting, tackling reports by its three working groups. The report by the Increasing Broadband Investment in Low-Income Communities Working Group generated the most heat.
Supporters and opponents of the FCC's rescinded 2015 net neutrality rules will closely watch the results of the Nov. 3 election to see what course a push for a return to that regulatory regime will take in 2021. A win by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and a switch to Democratic control of both chambers in Congress is believed to provide the best chance for returning to those rules and reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service, lawmakers and communications lobbyists told us. A President Donald Trump reelection would endanger efforts to bring back the old rules, they said.
Supporters and opponents of the FCC's rescinded 2015 net neutrality rules will closely watch the results of the Nov. 3 election to see what course a push for a return to that regulatory regime will take in 2021. A win by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and a switch to Democratic control of both chambers in Congress is believed to provide the best chance for returning to those rules and reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service, lawmakers and communications lobbyists told us. A President Donald Trump reelection would endanger efforts to bring back the old rules, they said.
A change in administrations could boost the National Association for Foreign-Trade Zones' rear guard action against a proposal for the USMCA technical fixes bill, lobbyist Brian Hannigan told listeners at the NAFTZ virtual conference Oct. 29.