FCC's Pai Backs SpaceX Broadband Plan, NARUC Adopts Lifeline, Number Portability Resolutions, FCC February Open Meeting Agenda 

FCC’s Pai Backs SpaceX Broadband Plan

FCC Chairman Pai has released a statement supporting SpaceX’s bid to provide broadband services using satellite technologies in the USA and globally.   Pai believes that this new technology would further the FCC’s goal of promoting rural broadband access.  This would also allow for more competition in rural areas where there is terrestrial Internet access available.  Pai also stated “If adopted, it would be the first approval given to an American-based company to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies.”  Over the past year the FCC has approved requests by OneWeb, Space Norway, and Telesat to provide satellite broadband services that promise to provide access in rural areas.  The FCC continues to process similar requests as well. 

NARUC Adopts Lifeline, Number Portability Resolutions

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners adopted two telecom resolutions at its Winter Policy Summit.  The first resolution addresses Nationwide Number Portability (NNP).  It acknowledges the FCC’s pending Notice of Inquiry on NNP (Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 11/8/17) and urges the FCC to carefully consider issues raised in the NANC May 16, 2016 “Report on NNP,” and to disclose for public comment: (1) the costs to consumers to implement NNP; (2) the cost recovery options for NNP implementation; (3) the timeline options for implementing NNP; and (4) the impact of NNP implementation on the IP transition.

The second resolution deals with the Lifeline program.  It acknowledges the FCC’s pending proceeding to further revise those rules (Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 12/14/17) and urges the FCC to: (1) continue to cooperate with the states and acknowledge states’ significant role in the Lifeline program; (2) eliminate the stand-alone Lifeline Broadband Provider designation; (3) reverse its pre-emption of State regulatory authority to designate Eligible Telecommunications Carriers; (4) continue to allow non-facilities based carriers to receive Lifeline funds because they have been crucial in ensuring that low-income households are connected to vital telecommunication services; and (3) if a budget is created, ensure that qualified households that are current subscribers do not lose their Lifeline benefit and that there is reasonable and rationale growth in the Lifeline fund and subscribers.

FCC February Open Meeting Agenda Finalized

The FCC announced the final agenda for its February 22, 2018, Open Meeting.  A new item added to the Agenda is a presentation by the Wireline Competition Bureau of a new National Broadband Map providing improved access to fixed-broadband deployment.

The other items previously announced are:

• Payphone Compensation: A Report and Order to (1) eliminate all payphone call tracking system audit and associated reporting requirements, (2) permit a company official, including but not limited to the chief financial officer, to certify that a completing carrier’s quarterly compensation payments are accurate and complete, and (3) eliminate expired payphone compensation rules.
• Spectrum Horizons:  A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on proposed rules that would apply to spectrum above 95 GHz for licensed services, unlicensed operations, and a new class of experimental licenses.
• Encouraging the Provision of New Technologies and Services: A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to provide guidelines and procedures to implement section 7 of the Communications Act, as amended, to improve FCC processes to promote the provision of new technologies and services to the public.
• Mobility Fund Phase II Second Order on Reconsideration: An Order addressing the remaining issues raised by parties in petitions for reconsideration of the Mobility Fund Phase II Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
• Maintenance of Copies of FCC Rules:  A Report and Order that would eliminate specific Part 74, 76, and 78 rules that require certain broadcast and cable entities to maintain paper copies of FCC rules, while retaining provisions that require the subject entities to be familiar with the rules governing their operations.

 The FCC will also consider a broadcast item.

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 The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s daily blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.