The Senate approved the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act (S-1180) Thursday by unanimous consent, getting praise from CTIA and NAB. “This bill takes important steps to expand our nation’s public warning system to ensure the largest number of people are reached,” said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., one of the bill authors. “The IPAWS Modernization Act of 2015 also ensures effective training and collaboration so that when an emergency hits, we are ready.” He urged the House to pass the legislation quickly. The legislation “would result in more families and businesses receiving lifesaving information quickly, and would ensure our government has the flexibility it needs to evolve with future changes in technology,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who also backs the bill. CTIA praised Johnson and McCaskill's “willingness to structure their bill in a way that preserves the successful Wireless Emergency Alert system that has been used to notify the public of imminent threats and Amber alerts more than 11,000 times since it went live in 2012,” CTIA Vice President-Government Affairs Jot Carpenter said.
Lifeline reform isn’t on the minds of only the FCC commissioners, it’s also on the minds of members of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners ahead of its summer committee meeting in New York City, Sunday-Tuesday. Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O'Rielly will attend a Monday meeting to discuss reforming Lifeline. The commissioners will discuss how best to give low-income communities more access to 21st century broadband communications services, the meeting program said. South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson said that discussion should be interesting because the two commissioners have different thoughts on Lifeline: “I think that will be one of our more interesting sessions. ... I'm not sure I can remember a time where we've had two [FCC Commissioners] on the same panel, and in the case of Lifeline, I think [they're] two that have a little bit of a difference in opinion as to how it should evolve, so this may be breaking a little bit of ground.”
FCC staffers are leaning on wireless carriers to endorse their proposal to put TV stations in the “duplex gap” between uplink and downlink frequencies bought by carriers, industry and FCC officials said. Broadcasters, consumer and public interest groups, and high-tech companies have lined up against the plan, which they characterize as a change from the auction rules approved by the FCC last year (see 1507070055). Pressure has been intense, but carriers for the most part have taken more of a middle-of-the-road stance, the officials said, saying the issue has emerged as the biggest hot-button issue going into a vote on the TV incentive auction rules next week (see 1506250057).
FCC staffers are leaning on wireless carriers to endorse their proposal to put TV stations in the “duplex gap” between uplink and downlink frequencies bought by carriers, industry and FCC officials said. Broadcasters, consumer and public interest groups, and high-tech companies have lined up against the plan, which they characterize as a change from the auction rules approved by the FCC last year (see 1507070055). Pressure has been intense, but carriers for the most part have taken more of a middle-of-the-road stance, the officials said, saying the issue has emerged as the biggest hot-button issue going into a vote on the TV incentive auction rules next week (see 1506250057).
Lifeline reform isn’t on the minds of only the FCC commissioners, it’s also on the minds of members of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners ahead of its summer committee meeting in New York City, Sunday-Tuesday. Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O'Rielly will attend a Monday meeting to discuss reforming Lifeline. The commissioners will discuss how best to give low-income communities more access to 21st century broadband communications services, the meeting program said. South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson said that discussion should be interesting because the two commissioners have different thoughts on Lifeline: “I think that will be one of our more interesting sessions. ... I'm not sure I can remember a time where we've had two [FCC Commissioners] on the same panel, and in the case of Lifeline, I think [they're] two that have a little bit of a difference in opinion as to how it should evolve, so this may be breaking a little bit of ground.”
FCC staffers are leaning on wireless carriers to endorse their proposal to put TV stations in the “duplex gap” between uplink and downlink frequencies bought by carriers, industry and FCC officials said. Broadcasters, consumer and public interest groups, and high-tech companies have lined up against the plan, which they characterize as a change from the auction rules approved by the FCC last year (see 1507070055). Pressure has been intense, but carriers for the most part have taken more of a middle-of-the-road stance, the officials said, saying the issue has emerged as the biggest hot-button issue going into a vote on the TV incentive auction rules next week (see 1506250057).
APCO told the FCC that, now that comments are in, it should move forward with the agency's proposal to end a requirement that nonservice-initialized (NSI) handsets -- cellphones no longer connected to a carrier network -- still must be able to connect to 911. In reply comments, carriers and public safety advocates lined up in opposition to dropping the requirement, largely as they had in the initial comment round (see 1506080043).
Broadcasters and unlicensed advocates both opposed locating TV stations in the “duplex gap” between uplink and downlink frequencies bought by carriers. Microsoft, NAB, the Open Technology Institute at New America, Public Knowledge and multiple other parties signed a letter to the FCC Tuesday asking the agency to keep the gap a TV station-free zone. The signers of the letter hope the FCC will reverse a proposal made by staff that would change rules adopted for the auction last year.
Broadcasters and unlicensed advocates both opposed locating TV stations in the “duplex gap” between uplink and downlink frequencies bought by carriers. Microsoft, NAB, the Open Technology Institute at New America, Public Knowledge and multiple other parties signed a letter to the FCC Tuesday asking the agency to keep the gap a TV station-free zone. The signers of the letter hope the FCC will reverse a proposal made by staff that would change rules adopted for the auction last year.
Next-generation 911 was a major theme when more than 2,000 met in Denver last week for the National Emergency Number Association's annual meeting, NENA said in a news release. “NG9-1-1 not only provides the capability to accept 9-1-1 text and multimedia messaging, but also enhances call routing and handling,” the group said. “In addition, NG9-1-1 allows for communications and data transfers across county, state, and international borders, and provides for interconnection and seamless information sharing between 9-1-1 centers, first responders, poison control centers, trauma centers, and other emergency response entities.”