Trump administration officials' repeated citations of the national security implications of maintaining U.S. leadership in 5G innovation are a sign Congress needs to act on broader telecom policy issues that would help sustain that dominance, lawmakers and industry officials told us. The administration mentioned 5G deployment in its December national security strategy (see 1712180071 and 1712270032).
Trump administration officials' repeated citations of the national security implications of maintaining U.S. leadership in 5G innovation are a sign Congress needs to act on broader telecom policy issues that would help sustain that dominance, lawmakers and industry officials told us. The administration mentioned 5G deployment in its December national security strategy (see 1712180071 and 1712270032).
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) welcomed legislation to end state 911 fee diversion -- after condemnations of the practice by FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly as well as a state representative and a mayor challenging Raimondo in this November’s election. The Republicans spoke Monday against the practice at a 911 summit (video) hosted by state Rep. Robert Lancia (R) in Cranston. Raimondo staff met with O’Rielly during a visit to a Providence call center.
Commercial mobile service providers may join an April 5 wireless emergency alert test by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Emergency Managers Committee, said an FCC Public Safety Bureau order Friday granting limited waiver. The test will take place in 20 jurisdictions within the National Capital Region, “simulating the manner in which the MWCOG would conduct a coordinated WEA in the case of an actual emergency,” the bureau said in docket 15-91. Test alerts will be sent by 12 of the jurisdictions, it said. The bureau conditioned the waiver on MWCOG doing appropriate outreach beforehand so as not to confuse the public. Test participants are the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia.
Commercial mobile service providers may join an April 5 wireless emergency alert test by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Emergency Managers Committee, said an FCC Public Safety Bureau order Friday granting limited waiver. The test will take place in 20 jurisdictions within the National Capital Region, “simulating the manner in which the MWCOG would conduct a coordinated WEA in the case of an actual emergency,” the bureau said in docket 15-91. Test alerts will be sent by 12 of the jurisdictions, it said. The bureau conditioned the waiver on MWCOG doing appropriate outreach beforehand so as not to confuse the public. Test participants are the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia.
Commercial mobile service providers may join an April 5 wireless emergency alert test by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Emergency Managers Committee, said an FCC Public Safety Bureau order Friday granting limited waiver. The test will take place in 20 jurisdictions within the National Capital Region, “simulating the manner in which the MWCOG would conduct a coordinated WEA in the case of an actual emergency,” the bureau said in docket 15-91. Test alerts will be sent by 12 of the jurisdictions, it said. The bureau conditioned the waiver on MWCOG doing appropriate outreach beforehand so as not to confuse the public. Test participants are the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia.
With a lack of electricity and access to funding hampering recovery efforts for communications services in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, some concerns about the FCC USF-based aid proposal have emerged, industry and government officials in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington told us. Some industry officials expressed concern about the proposal's goals and said the plan does nothing for affected broadcasters. A group of Puerto Rico broadcasters pitched a nationwide disaster relief plan for broadcasters to Chairman Ajit Pai during his visit earlier this month. “What happened in Puerto Rico can happen elsewhere in the U.S.,” said Eduardo Rivero of Puerto Rico station owner Media Power Group.
The National Marine Fisheries Service on March 16 announced the release of its first “List of Foreign Fisheries” that must meet comparability guidelines by 2022 or else have their fish products become ineligible for importation. The new list puts foreign fisheries in one of two categories -- “export” and “exempt” -- that have different marine mammal protection requirements these fisheries and their home countries must meet before being declared eligible for importation.
There's been momentum in the NAFTA negotiations, but "we still think it is likely the president could withdraw," said Brian Kingston, a vice president with the Business Council of Canada. President Donald Trump has threatened to leave the deal (see 1708310011). The Canadian government has made a lot of diplomatic outreach in the U.S. Congress recently, and Kingston is hopeful that lawmakers would just sit on the request and not take action, he said during an event at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies on March 15. That would result in a "zombie NAFTA," he said. "Not an ideal outcome." An announcement to withdraw is really a six months' notice of withdrawal, and some believe the U.S. cannot end NAFTA tariff rates without a congressional vote to set replacement rates (see 1711150031).
A big test of NTIA efforts to incentivize spectrum sharing between industry and federal agencies and the agencies maximizing their use of their spectrum assignments will come over the next few years with the rollout of the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, said NTIA Administrator David Redl Wednesday at Satellite 2018. NTIA is looking at the 3450-3550 MHz band as a candidate for potential commercial use, Redl said (prepared remarks here). He said DOD plans to ask for money through the Spectrum Relocation Fund to study the band (see 1802260047). Redl said appropriations have been provided to study proposed reallocation of the 1300-1350 MHz band. Many think reallocation of the 1.3 GHz band is probably a top NTIA priority (see 1802230052).