The FCC’s disaster information reporting system lists 1,227 cable and wireline subscribers out of service in the four New Mexico counties affected by wildfires, a small improvement over the 1,271 in Thursday’s report, said a release Friday. The report also shows outages at 2.2% of cellsites in the affected area, as compared with 3.1% reported Thursday. No broadcast stations or public safety answering points were listed as out of service.
China-based drone maker DJI told the FCC it can't lawfully be placed on the list of covered companies posing a security risk. “DJI strongly and unequivocally disputes any claim that its products constitute a threat to U.S. national security, but in all events there is no lawful basis for the Commission to place DJI’s products on the Covered List,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-232. “DJI neither produces nor provides any ‘communications equipment or services’ that are subject to the Secure Networks Act.” A DJI representative spoke with staff from the offices of General Counsel and Engineering and Technology and the Public Safety Bureau. In October, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called attention to DJI (see 2110190051), which has more than half the U.S. drone market, comparing it to a “Huawei on wings.”
Preparing for and responding to disasters is “truly a partnership” among different levels of government and industry, said FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief Debra Jordan at an FCBA virtual event Wednesday. The FCC works hard “at building relationships at the state, the regional and the national level, so when there's a disaster we can ... partner and immediately begin jumping on the task [at] hand, and hopefully have a level of trust going into this." The commission plans to do outreach this summer on how states and others can access its disaster information reporting system (DIRS) and network outage reporting system (D) databases, said Jordan. The FCC adopted a framework last year to provide access to state, federal and tribal nations, with information sharing rules taking effect in September, she said. “We will have an application process that will grant agencies access to this information after certifying to requirements for maintaining the confidentiality of the data, as well as the security of the databases.” Jordan urged more collaboration on wireless emergency alert testing to address lingering issues with geofencing and delivery. The FCC used to respond mainly to hurricanes, but climate change is bringing more wildfires, tornadoes and severe winter storms, noted the bureau chief. Communications industry compliance is “high” but “not where we want it to be” with the California Public Utilities Commission’s 72-hour backup power requirements for wireline and wireless facilities, said CPUC Communications Division Director Robert Osborn. “It's not 100%.” The COVID-19 pandemic made it tougher for staff to visit sites to confirm backup power is present, but the agency is hoping to do more soon, he said. Distinguishing between traditional and IP-based networks on resiliency is a “thing of the past,” said Osborn. “We really just need to focus on the communication grid as a critical infrastructure.” Since the CPUC efforts, “we’ve seen a dramatic improvement in the resiliency of our networks,” said California Office of Emergency Services 911 Branch Manager Budge Currier. “They’re surviving a little bit better during disasters.”
The FCC’s disaster information reporting system shows 1,271 cable and wireline subscribers out of service in the four New Mexico counties affected by wildfires, said a release Thursday. The report also shows outages at 3.1% of cellsites in the affected area. No broadcast stations or public safety answering points were listed as out of service.
AT&T said Wednesday two of the better-known executives in its Washington, D.C., office are retiring. Joan Marsh, executive vice president-federal regulatory relations, and Tim McKone, executive vice president-federal legislative relations, are leaving. Marsh has been at AT&T for 26 years and McKone for 27. “Marsh has been a terrific community leader and committed to advancing AT&T’s regulatory agenda in Washington and state capitals across the country,” said Ed Gillespie, senior executive vice president-external and legislative affairs, in a statement: “McKone has been instrumental in sharing our vision with policy makers in Washington. Tim’s efforts on Capitol Hill for Southwestern Bell, SBC, Cingular wireless and AT&T have helped shape the company we are today.” Industry officials said the departures were voluntary but reflect AT&T’s ongoing cost-cutting (see 2204210061), with some higher-paid executives also leaving AT&T’s Dallas headquarters. Replacements haven't been named.
U.S. internet service costs in April were up 1.7% year over year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index data released Wednesday. It said residential phone service costs increased 6% year over year, but wireless service was down 0.7%. Cable and satellite TV service rose 0.8%. BLS said April prices overall were up 8.3% year over year before seasonal adjustment, with food, airline fares and new vehicles being major drivers of inflation.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a declaratory ruling among commissioners that would let E-rate program funding be used to buy Wi-Fi for school buses, said a news release Wednesday. Rosenworcel announced the proposal at a National Coalition for Technology in Education & Training meeting. The proposal would "clarify that use of WiFi or similar access point technologies on school buses serves an educational purpose and the provision of such service is therefore eligible for E-rate funding," the news release said. It would also direct the Wireline Bureau to "include funding WiFi on buses in establishing E-rate eligible services for the upcoming funding year." The FCC allowed Emergency Connectivity Fund applicants to seek funding for Wi-Fi on school buses (see 2108240064). “Wiring our school buses is a practical step we can take that is consistent with the history of the E-rate program," Rosenworcel said.
The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for the New Mexico counties of Colfax, Mora, San Miguel and Santa Fe due to wildfires, said a release Monday. A Tuesday DIRS report showed 0.9% of cellsites down in the affected area, and no public safety answering points down, no broadcasters out of service, and no cable and wireline subscribers out of service. The bureau issued PNs on emergency contact information for licensees that need special temporary authority and on 24-hour availability of staff. A public notice also reminded essential personnel about the availability of priority telecom services overseen by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for when local networks are damaged or congested.
Efforts to build infrastructure for 5G are starting to hit a “stall speed” due to a lack of support for the FCC from the White House, said Commissioner Brendan Carr Tuesday in an interview on the Ruthless Podcast. Carr said the Biden administration hasn’t supported the FCC in spectrum battles with other federal agencies the way the Trump administration did. Carr also urged Section 230 reform, which he said is opposed by “media gatekeepers.” He said he’s “hopeful” about Elon Musk’s possible purchase of Twitter but said laws also are needed. Carr said he doesn’t know if there was evidence of Twitter suppressing conservatives on social media, but he wouldn’t be surprised if there was “a run on shredder trucks and burn bags” in Silicon Valley. The biggest challenge now facing the FCC is the specter of waste, fraud and abuse of the recent wave of federal infrastructure funds, Carr said. “I’m really worried we’re going to see billions of dollars wasted,” he said.
Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen and other top executives from the company met with FCC staff to push for action on 5G in the 12 GHz band. “The 12 GHz band represents 500 megahertz of spectrum that is well-suited for terrestrial, two-way 5G use cases, while still protecting satellite operations,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 19-348: “Given that the enormous benefits of allowing 5G terrestrial operations in the 12 GHz band can be realized without interfering with existing operations, the Commission should act expeditiously to unlock the power of 5G-ready spectrum in this band.” The Dish officials also asked the FCC to increase authorized power levels in the citizens broadband radio service band. Dish met with staff from the Wireless and International bureaus and Office of Engineering & Technology. The FCC has faced continuing pressure to act on the 12 GHz band from the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition (see 2203210056). Ergen thinks the 12 GHz band is "the ideal frequency" for fixed wireless, he said on a quarterly earnings call Friday (see 2205070001).