The new Coalition for Coordinated Sharing filed a petition for rulemaking at the FCC Tuesday, asking the agency to develop rules to open the 10-10.5 GHz band for point-to-point use on a shared basis. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to find greenfield spectrum below the 12 GHz spectrum band to connect tower sites, enterprises and devices,” the group said in a news release: “Sharing spectrum in the 10 GHz band represents the most viable means to solve congestion and meet consumer demand for more robust broadband and IoT services with incumbents.” The coalition's members are the Wireless ISP Association, Cambium Networks, the Open Technology Institute at New America and Public Knowledge. An official with the coalition told us it builds on a 2013 proposal by Mimosa asking that the band be set aside for outdoor and long-distance backhaul links at the power levels allowed under Part 90, subpart Z, of commission rules. The commission took comment in 2014 (see 1404150034). CTIA previously supported use of the 10 GHz band for licensed use (see 2011030051). Bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate urged an exam of the band in 2015 (see 1503030029). The coalition said sharing would be easier than the sharing in the citizens broadband radio service band, similar to the frequency coordination being developed for the 6 GHz band. “Over the last several years, the Commission has made thousands of megahertz of spectrum available for last-mile service,” the group said. “While those allocations have created significant public benefits, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the need for more point-to-point spectrum to relieve congestion in other bands and help meet the increased demand for fixed broadband service,” it said: “This is particularly true in rural areas and for other applications where devices are not proximate to available or affordable fiber.” The spectrum is currently occupied by DOD and possibly other federal incumbents in many areas, said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “Using a geographic coordination system, this underutilized band could also accommodate shared use with broadband providers in many rural, tribal and other underserved areas,” he said.
The Supreme Court will consider two appeals of appellate court decisions on social media companies' legal protections when their platforms are used in conjunction with terror attacks. On Monday, SCOTUS granted certiorari in docket 21-1333 in an appeal of a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision tossing out a suit against Google's YouTube for hosting and recommending ISIS proselytizing and recruitment videos. Plaintiff in the litigation and SCOTUS petitioner is the estate of Nohemi Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen who was killed in ISIS attacks there in 2015. The petitioner asked SCOTUS to revisit the 9th Circuit's holding that the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 protects YouTube's algorithm for recommending videos. Google didn't comment. The court also granted cert Monday in docket 21-1496, in which Twitter is appealing another 9th Circuit decision. In that decision, the appellate court found Twitter and co-defendants Facebook and Google could be held liable for aiding and abetting an act of terrorism. Twitter and the others were sued by American relatives of Nawras Alassaf, a Jordanian killed in an ISIS attack in Istanbul in 2017. “These cases underscore how important it is that digital services have the resources and the legal certainty to deal with dangerous content online," Computer and Communications Industry Association President Matt Schruers said in a statement. “Section 230 is critical to enabling the digital sector’s efforts to respond to extremist and violent rhetoric online, and these cases illustrate why it is essential that those efforts continue.” SCOTUS "can really do something useful by constraining Section 230 protections to hosting content instead of targeting content," tweeted Matt Stoller, American Economic Liberties Project research director.
Fortune 100 companies are giving the public more information about how they're dealing with cybersecurity challenges, but the gaps in information remain big, said Chuck Seets, Ernst and Young EY Americas Assurance principal, and Pat Nieman, EY Americas audit committee forum leader, in a Sunday blog at the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance. They said only 9% of proxy statements and Form 10-Ks analyzed disclosed any use of response readiness simulations. With cybersecurity near "an inflection point" due to bigger risks and looming regulation, companies lagging in disclosures and in tackling cyberthreats "should foster a culture of cooperation while elevating the tone at the top," they said.
Hurricane Ian cellsite outages sharply declined over the weekend, the FCC reported Monday in disaster information reporting system data. The DIRS report said 3.8% of cellsites were out of service in affected Florida counties, down from 7.7% in Friday’s report (see 2209300053). Counties experiencing the highest outage rates were Hardee (20.5%), Charlotte (18.4%) and Lee (17.8%). Cable and wireline companies reported 474,706 subscribers without service. One TV, six FM and two AM stations were down. On Sunday, the FCC deactivated DIRS for Hurricane Ian in many South Carolina counties. The agency deactivated Hurricane Fiona DIRS reporting Friday.
The FCC's updated emergency alert system rules adopted last week give cable operators 15 months to complete the transition to emergency action notification text displays when that EAN change requires upgrading set-top box software and head-end equipment, said the order released Friday. The draft version of the order didn't include the 15-month deadline. "We find that 15 months is more than adequate to account for these software-related complexities, including any unexpected difficulties," the commission said in the adopted order. The EAS rules update passed 4-0 at the agency's September meeting (see 2209290017).
Global tech spending will exceed $4 trillion in 2023, “as two-thirds of technology decision-makers increase their tech budgets, despite increasing economic uncertainty,” reported Forrester Thursday. It projects 80% of companies “will pivot their innovation efforts from creativity to resilience” by next year, it said. Forrester research found 65% of tech professionals expect their organizations will increase spending on emerging technologies over the next 12 months.
The FCC extended the deadline for regulatory fee filings from Wednesday to Friday for all payors due to Hurricane Ian, said a public notice Wednesday. The storm “may cause substantial damage to the communications network, resulting in service disruptions and outages throughout areas in Florida,” the PN said. “The Commission is mindful of the effect of this hurricane on regulatory fee payors located in affected areas,” the PN said. “Additionally, we are aware of other technical challenges entities are currently facing in paying their regulatory fees.”
Disaster information reporting system data for Hurricane Fiona showed 132,400 cable and wireline subscribers without service and 11.7% of cellsites down in Puerto Rico Wednesday. A DIRS report was also generated for Hurricane Ian but showed minimal damage since Wednesday’s report was based on information gathered before the storm’s landfall. The Ian report shows 1.4% of cellsites down and 26,716 subscribers out of service in the affected area, which includes all of Florida.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appointed Denise Bambi Kraus Tuesday to be chief of the Office of Native Affairs and Policy. As chief, “Kraus will further the Commission's efforts to bring the benefits of modern communications to all Native communities,” the FCC said. “ONAP will lead Tribal consultation and provide technical assistance to ensure all Tribal Nations have the support that they need to participate in the agency's ongoing broadband data collection effort and expand the accuracy of the FCC's broadband availability maps,” the FCC said. Kraus will also focus on access, affordability and sustainability. She was formerly national tribal affairs advisor at FEMA.
The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for 62 counties in Florida for Hurricane Ian, said a public notice Tuesday. The agency also issued public notices on emergency contact information for licensees that need special temporary authority, priority communications services, and on 24-hour availability of FCC staff. The Public Safety Bureau also sent a warning to avoid damaging communications infrastructure during debris clearing operations. “PSHSB encourages those entities working to clear debris, repair utility lines, and restore services to ensure their activities do not damage critical communications,” the PN said. For areas of Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricane Fiona, DIRS data shows 194,586 cable and wireline subscribers without service, a large improvement over the 503,664 from Monday’s data. The report also shows 14.1% of cellsites down, plus two FM stations and one AM station. No public safety access points were reported down.