The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Wednesday hearing on the digital divide and improving broadband access. The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. “Access to affordable, secure and reliable high-speed broadband internet service is essential,” said House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., in a Wednesday news release. “The federal government must do more to promote digital equity and spur internet adoption across the country. As [House Communications] continues to consider revenue-raising spectrum auction legislation, a full appreciation of the issues posed by poor broadband adoption will be crucial to the discussion.” Doyle and some other lawmakers have been backing the Clearing Broad Airwaves for New Deployment (C-Band) Act (HR-4855/S-2921). That bill favors allocating proceeds from the coming auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band for rural broadband and other telecom priorities (see 2001090021). Democrats are expected to unveil an infrastructure package next week (see 2001160063).

The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Wednesday hearing on the digital divide and improving broadband access. The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. “Access to affordable, secure and reliable high-speed broadband internet service is essential,” said House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., in a Wednesday news release. “The federal government must do more to promote digital equity and spur internet adoption across the country. As [House Communications] continues to consider revenue-raising spectrum auction legislation, a full appreciation of the issues posed by poor broadband adoption will be crucial to the discussion.” Doyle and some other lawmakers have been backing the Clearing Broad Airwaves for New Deployment (C-Band) Act (HR-4855/S-2921). That bill favors allocating proceeds from the coming auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band for rural broadband and other telecom priorities (see 2001090021). Democrats are expected to unveil an infrastructure package next week (see 2001160063).

House Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., ranking member Sam Graves, R-Mo., and 36 other committee members raised "substantial" concerns Wednesday about the FCC’s 5.9 GHz NPRM. The rulemaking (see 1912120058) proposes to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi and cellular vehicle-to-everything, preserving some for dedicated short-range communications. Four House Communications Subcommittee members backed the proposal earlier this month (see 2001100066). The House Infrastructure members cited Transportation Department calls to preserve the band for DSRC (see 1909160018) in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The commission significantly changed the proposal in response to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and other DSRC advocates (see 1911200055). “We have made the adoption of technology in our transportation system a key priority and expect to take further steps in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization to encourage greater use of [intelligent transportation systems]," the House Infrastructure members wrote. "Removal of this dedicated spectrum would be counter to our national transportation policy goals, as affirmed by the DOT and the Congress" in the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. “For over 20 years, the vast majority of the 5.9 GHz band has sat unused, and it is therefore time to turn the page on the failed status quo,” an FCC spokesperson emailed. The NPRM “would improve automotive safety by allocating 20 MHz for C-V2X, a promising technology that currently does not have any spectrum available to it. The FCC is committed to transportation safety and is pursuing a balanced approach.” WifiForward said the 5.9 GHz band “is unused in the vast majority of the country the vast majority of the time and this is the best near-term opportunity to help with that crunch. The FCC has proposed a win-win; providing airwaves for wireless broadband and innovative automotive safety applications broad bipartisan and cross-industry support.”

House Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., ranking member Sam Graves, R-Mo., and 36 other committee members raised "substantial" concerns Wednesday about the FCC’s 5.9 GHz NPRM. The rulemaking (see 1912120058) proposes to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi and cellular vehicle-to-everything, preserving some for dedicated short-range communications. Four House Communications Subcommittee members backed the proposal earlier this month (see 2001100066). The House Infrastructure members cited Transportation Department calls to preserve the band for DSRC (see 1909160018) in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The commission significantly changed the proposal in response to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and other DSRC advocates (see 1911200055). “We have made the adoption of technology in our transportation system a key priority and expect to take further steps in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization to encourage greater use of [intelligent transportation systems]," the House Infrastructure members wrote. "Removal of this dedicated spectrum would be counter to our national transportation policy goals, as affirmed by the DOT and the Congress" in the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. “For over 20 years, the vast majority of the 5.9 GHz band has sat unused, and it is therefore time to turn the page on the failed status quo,” an FCC spokesperson emailed. The NPRM “would improve automotive safety by allocating 20 MHz for C-V2X, a promising technology that currently does not have any spectrum available to it. The FCC is committed to transportation safety and is pursuing a balanced approach.” WifiForward said the 5.9 GHz band “is unused in the vast majority of the country the vast majority of the time and this is the best near-term opportunity to help with that crunch. The FCC has proposed a win-win; providing airwaves for wireless broadband and innovative automotive safety applications broad bipartisan and cross-industry support.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and some executives urged the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday to advance the Telecom Opportunities for Workers Engaging in Real (Tower) Infrastructure Deployment Act (S-2363) and other measures to address perceived shortcomings in industry’s ability to recruit and retain workers to deploy 5G infrastructure. The committee's Wednesday hearing focused on workforce issues, with some talk about how to address regulatory barriers to 5G deployment. The Senate Commerce hearing drew light committee member attendance, amid the second day of the chamber’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., filed the Protecting Community Television Act Tuesday to ensure continued resources for public, educational and governmental programming. The bill follows the FCC’s cable TV local franchise authority order (see 1908010011). Localities are seeking a stay before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (see 1912180048), and Commissioner Mike O'Rielly Tuesday said he wants more deregulation (see 2001210028). Markey, Eshoo and others raised concerns the LFA order would treat cable operators' in-kind contributions required by local franchise authorities as franchise fees and subject to a cap. The Protecting Community Television Act would clarify that franchise fees that cable companies provide local governments include only monetary assessments, not in-kind contributions. Eshoo called “shameful” the FCC’s “attempt to gut these important voices.”

The 5G Spectrum Act, even if it doesn't become law, could benchmark how satellite communications incumbents get compensated for clearing part of the C band, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly told reporters Tuesday in a wide-ranging interview. S-2881 "does have weight," especially as there seemingly has been a general shift from Capitol Hill resistance to any incentives, said. If satcom incumbents receive a percentage of the $40 billion in auction proceeds, as the legislation says (see 2001090021), debate will likely center on between 30 and 50 percent, though compensation could be a hard number for incumbents, or a combination of percentage and hard number, he said.

Tech companies urged the FCC to let Wi-Fi share the 6 GHz band. Cisco, Google, HP Enterprise, Microsoft and Qualcomm representatives met aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. "Quickly resolve any outstanding issues in a manner consistent with our previous advocacy and" issue an order "for unlicensed use throughout the band,” they asked. Meanwhile, in meetings with aides to Carr and Starks, iRobot said a proposal to “introduce Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band at the power levels being discussed in this proceeding would render ultra-wide band devices inoperable due to the interference that would be caused,” the company said: The 2 billion UWB devices in use are "estimated to increase to 3.1 billion by 2025.”

Tech companies urged the FCC to let Wi-Fi share the 6 GHz band. Cisco, Google, HP Enterprise, Microsoft and Qualcomm representatives met aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. "Quickly resolve any outstanding issues in a manner consistent with our previous advocacy and" issue an order "for unlicensed use throughout the band,” they asked. Meanwhile, in meetings with aides to Carr and Starks, iRobot said a proposal to “introduce Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band at the power levels being discussed in this proceeding would render ultra-wide band devices inoperable due to the interference that would be caused,” the company said: The 2 billion UWB devices in use are "estimated to increase to 3.1 billion by 2025.”

The tariffs on billions of dollars worth of European goods because the World Trade Organization found the EU illegally subsidized Airbus puts Europe in a position where it will need to take similar action, assuming the WTO rules that state tax credits for Boeing also distorted trade. “This is where I don't want to be,” European Union Commissioner Phil Hogan said during a press roundtable with reporters late Jan. 16.