The FCC plans to undo "unnecessary regulation" of transport services and facilities for ILECs, according to two draft orders released Wednesday that will come up for a vote at the commissioners' July 10 meeting, as the agency promised a day earlier (see 1906180053). An opinion and order from docket 18-141 would partially grant USTelecom's request for forbearance from DS1 and DS3 transport unbundling obligations for price-cap carriers, where endpoints for competitive fiber is located within a half mile. An order on remand from docket 16-143 would grant price-cap carriers nationwide relief from ex ante price regulation of their lower speed TDM transport business data services.
The FCC posted the draft order reallocating the 2.5 GHz band for auction and lifting educational requirements for the educational broadband service spectrum. Officials said Wednesday it's likely the item that gets the most attention headed into the meeting. Groups that promote greater use of EBS slammed the order after it was posted. Other July 10 meeting items also were released Wednesday: 1906190067 and 1906190044.
The FCC's draft kidvid order increases the flexibility of when children's television content can be aired, allows more multicast content to satisfy the requirements, gets rid of the now-obligatory E/I symbol for noncommercial stations, and expands the options for broadcasters to preempt children's content for live events, as expected (see 1906180080). Also on the July 10 agenda is a declaratory ruling to pre-empt part of a 2016 San Francisco ordinance that requires sharing of in-use multi-tenant environment (MTE) building wiring. A draft order and Further NPRM and a related draft NPRM would largely follow a joint NAB/NCTA proposal for updating cable carriage election notification rules and propose rules for other MVPD electronic notifications based on America's Communications Association advocacy.
The FAA expects to publish an NPRM for drone remote identification by September (see 1805210045), more than a year after the original deadline for issuing a final rule, said Deputy Associate Administrator-Office of Security and Hazardous Materials Angela Stubblefield. Remote ID would allow authorities to identify unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) through device registration.
A multiyear effort to pass a Pennsylvania small-cells bill hit another wall Tuesday after a House panel canceled voting on HB-1400 after a rush of local opposition. Wisconsin seems on the cusp of becoming the 27th state with such a bill meant to streamline 5G wireless deployment by pre-empting local government in the right of way. Debate on a New Jersey bill is picking up, while Florida could soon tighten requirements of a 2017 law that cities have challenged in state court. Maine enacted a small-cells bill earlier this month (see 1906070046).
Marshall Broadcasting asked for a hearing designation order against Nexstar over allegations the broadcaster exerted undue control over stations owned by Marshall and prevented the smaller broadcaster from getting financing, said a complaint filed with the FCC last week. Marshall in April filed a lawsuit against Nexstar over similar allegations in New York Supreme Court (see 1904030071).
With the FCC ending part-time leased access rules earlier this month, considering them contrary to the First Amendment (see 1906060029), media law and Constitution experts see potentially thorny questions emerging as it also considers whether its full-time requirements have similar problems. The agency could find itself in a particularly sticky situation if it decides the statutory requirement underlying its leased access rules seems to have a constitutional problem, said former FCC Deputy General Counsel Peter Karanjia.
The FCC will consider proposed revisions of its kidvid rules at the July 10 commissioners’ meeting, as expected (see 1906170040), blogged Chairman Ajit Pai Tuesday. “This update of our rules is long overdue.” Though specifics on the content were scant, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly cast it as emphasizing compromise. “While there may a strong case for even further reforms, this item reflects sound and defensible policymaking,” he said. Along with items related to 5G and wireline items on multiple tenant rules, telehealth and broadband forbearance (see 1906180053), the agency will consider rules on electronic notifications by cable companies.
Educational interests got little of what they were hoping for in draft FCC rules on the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service band, in an order circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai for the July 10 commissioners' meeting and as expected (see 1906120043). Pai didn’t circulate a rulemaking on the 5.9 GHz band, which some expected, after it, like the 2.5 GHz item, didn’t make the cut for the June meeting (see 1905130054). The 5G items top a busy July 10 agenda (see 1906180080).
Dish Network, selling add-on audio and connected home products to pad its satellite TV installations for the past decade, is moving into a non-TV-centric business based on the connected home, Jeremy McCarty, general manager of the recently formed OnTech Smart Services brand, told us Monday. The service is launching in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and St. Louis.