Hill lawmakers' communications policy aspirations for a continuing resolution to fund the federal government past Dec. 20 took simultaneous steps forward and back Tuesday and Wednesday. Congressional leaders finalized an expected deal to attach language from two House-side Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization bills into the funding extension measure (see 1912090051). A contentious Senate Commerce Committee markup of the 5G Spectrum Act (S-2881) and other factors, meanwhile, raised doubts about the prospects of using the CR to weigh in on a planned FCC auction of spectrum on the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band (see 1912100001).
State and federal governments should link arms on USF programs, including more syncing up between the California Advanced Service Fund (CASF) and the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and Connect America Fund (CAF), the California Public Utilities Commission told the FCC. Staff from the CPUC Communications Division and the FCC’s Wireline Bureau and Office of Native Affairs had a call Tuesday, said a Thursday-posted filing in docket 19-126. FCC staff say they plan to wrap RDOF meetings by month’s end and hope to start taking bidding applications late next year after auction rules are adopted, the CPUC said. Statestaffers said it’s hard to know how many CAF Phase II subscribers are in California because carriers don’t report it, so they use subscribers to 10/1 Mbps as a proxy. “CPUC staff noted that subscribership to CAF II appears to be fairly low, below 15%, with some counties at 0%.” Thursday, the CPUC scheduled a Jan. 22 en banc hearing on how California should update rules and processes to keep up with the communications market, following up on a May meeting (see 1905200052). The commission wants providers to weigh in on affordability, rural and tribal challenges, grant programs and network sharing. The hearing is 10 a.m. PST.
Frontier Communications appoints Bernie Han, ex-Dish Network, president-CEO and board member, succeeding Daniel McCarthy, stepping down ... Interactive Advertising Bureau President Patrick Dolan departing in June ... Uber names Brian Barnard, from Transportation Department, senior manager-federal affairs ... With CommScope realigning into four segments, effective Jan. 1, Ben Cardwell becomes head-venue and campus; Kevin Keefe, broadband; Farid Firouzbakht, outdoor wireless; and Joe Chow, home networks ... Entercom promotes Karyn Cerulli to senior vice president-market manager, San Diego, succeeding Bob Bolinger, stepping down “to pursue other interests” ... Nexstar advances Paula Jackson to vice president and general manager-broadcasting and digital operations in market covering Bristol, Virginia, and Tennessee’s Johnson City and Kingsport ... TA Associates names Charles Ha, ex-General Catalyst, as vice president-North America technology ... Advanced Systems Group taps Steve Young, ex-Sony, as head-business operations and organizational development, systems integration business.
The House Communications Subcommittee's Thursday FCC oversight hearing is expected to include criticism of commission actions and a focus on telecom policy priorities like deciding how to allocate proceeds from a coming auction of the 3.7-4.2 GHz C band, said lawmakers and others in interviews. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the other four commissioners are to testify during the panel, which will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn. The hearing will happen a day after the House easily passed another FCC-related policy priority, the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (Traced) Act (S-151).
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp, described by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as an “FCC institution” who has “delivered incalculable value for American consumers over the years,” retiring Jan. 3 after 45 years at the commission (see 1911270046).
The California Public Utilities Commission will weigh more disaster relief rules for communications providers in response to problems during recent public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), CPUC President Marybel Batjer said at a Wednesday hearing livestreamed from San Francisco. Many local officials and telco customers couldn’t attend the hearing due to another power shutoff Wednesday, the sixth in two months, she said. Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen dismissed carriers’ arguments they couldn’t anticipate extended power shutoffs.
The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council will hold its third meeting Dec. 10, said a Tuesday notice in the Federal Register. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room.
It's good news that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will seek a public auction of the C band next year, rather than endorse the C-Band Alliance plan (see 1911180065), Comcast said the day after the announcement Monday. Others said questions remain, though the FCC is likely to follow the outlines of Senate legislation introduced Monday. The Pai approach “will ensure that this valuable spectrum is put to use expeditiously for 5G in a manner consistent with the public interest, while also preserving the C-Band as a critical input for the delivery of video services,” Comcast told the FCC Tuesday, in a docket 18-122 filing.
SAN ANTONIO -- Verizon in particular and cable and telco industries generally took heat from consumer advocates and others for what they contend are lagging service quality and/or rising prices. The providers don’t face enough competition, aren’t building out broadband as quickly as possible and/or don't always meet their commitments, the advocates and others said in interviews Tuesday. They spoke on the sidelines of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates conference in the same hotel as NARUC, and on a panel (see 10:05 a.m. Tuesday).
SAN ANTONIO -- The FCC seems poised to allow unlicensed devices including Wi-Fi to use at least part of the 6 GHz band that utilities and some others occupy to monitor infrastructure like power grids. Even though utilities and state telecom regulators have concerns about that approach, the federal regulator seems ready to act in coming months, said stakeholders on all sides that we spoke with on the sidelines of NARUC.