FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly urged the Rural Utilities Service to target $600 million in congressional appropriations for boosting broadband on "areas most in need of support" that are "truly unserved." O'Rielly and Microsoft urged a "technology-neutral" approach, and the American Cable Association said RUS must "prevent overbuilding of existing broadband providers and coordinate with broadband support programs of other federal agencies." There were 130 comments posted by Monday in RUS-18-TELECOM-0004 of regulations.gov in response to a notice of inquiry on how to structure an e-Connectivity pilot program.
In a key next step for the shared 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, the FCC Monday got proposals for initial commercial deployment (ICDs) by conditionally approved spectrum access system (SAS) administrators. By early evening, proposals were starting to trickle in, with the first two filed by Ruckus Networks Finland’s Fairspectrum in docket 15-319. Other filings were expected, including by some of the main companies that have made clear they plan to serve as SASs, including Amdocs, CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google and Sony.
Phase 1 of the incentive auction TV band repacking is widely expected to proceed smoothly after it kicks off Friday. Broadcasters, equipment manufacturers and tower workers are seeing signs future stages may be bumpier. “We are hearing from Phase 1 stations that they are on target,” said FCC Incentive Auction Task Force Chair Jean Kiddoo in an interview.
All U.S. spectrum policies haven’t been success stories and that’s the way things should work, NTIA Administrator David Redl said at a Silicon Flatirons conference Thursday evening (see 1809060049) titled: “Spectrum Hall of Shame: The Worst (and Best) Radio Policy Decisions.” Others said flexible licenses have been a hallmark of U.S. success.
Sonic Telecom customers are concerned about a USTelecom petition that seeks sweeping FCC regulatory relief for its large incumbent telco members. They fear their rates will rise and their service will be harmed if the FCC grants the forbearance petition to free the ILECs from wholesale duties to lease out their networks as discounted unbundled network elements. Local competitors such as Sonic, a northern California broadband and voice provider, can use UNEs to reach customers where their fiber-based offerings aren't available.
Congress should take DOJ’s advice on alleged anticompetitive behavior from big tech before heavily regulating the industry, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told us Thursday. Justice said Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will meet with state attorneys general this month to explore the issue (see 1809050057), days after President Donald Trump warned Google and Silicon Valley about violating antitrust law. “I’d rather get [DOJ] advice before Congress decides to declare [industry] a regulated utility, which I think would be a disaster,” Cornyn said.
State regulation of interconnected VoIP is pre-empted because it’s an information service, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. One judge dissented. But overall, the 8th Circuit affirmed last year’s ruling by U.S. District Court in St. Paul on Charter Communications' complaint the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission overstepped its authority by imposing state regulations for traditional phone services on VoIP.
Local government and public, educational and government (PEG) access programming interests plan to push back on proposed rules changes governing local franchise authorities that are teed up in the Further NPRM on FCC members' Sept. 26 agenda (see 1809050056). Local government authority is seen under attack in a variety of proceedings.
The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council sees the 4.9 GHz band as under growing pressure for wireless broadband reallocation but will continue to stress the importance of the band for public safety, Don Root, chair of the group’s Spectrum Management Committee, said Thursday at a meeting. Michael Wilhelm, chief of the Public Safety Bureau Policy and Licensing Division, told NPSTC the FCC is weighing comments in its related proceeding.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called on the FCC to move forward as quickly as possible on auction of unused 2.5 GHz band licenses, using spectrum once set aside for school use. Since it was educational spectrum, money raised should be used to address the homework gap, she said Thursday at a Silicon Flatirons spectrum conference streamed from Boulder, Colorado.