Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Begins Collecting Data on Huawei and ZTE Equipment and Services,  FCC and FTC Commissioners Announce Hearing on 5G, Privacy, and AI, USDA Announces Texas Broadband Grant 

FCC Begins Collecting Data on Huawei and ZTE Equipment and Services 

The FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the process by which Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) must report the extent to which their networks contain or use potentially prohibited equipment or services provided by Huawei Technologies Company (Huawei), ZTE Corporation (ZTE), or their subsidiaries, parents, or affiliates, and the costs associated with removing such equipment and replacing it with equivalent equipment.  This information collection is mandatory for all ETCs and their subsidiaries and affiliates; ETCs that do not use equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE are required to report that they do not use such equipment or services. Filings must be submitted on or before April 22, 2020.   

The request follows the FCC’s adoption of a rule barring the use of Universal Service funds to purchase equipment and services from companies posing a national security threat.  Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 12/23/19. 

“Huawei and ZTE have been initially designated as threats to national security. Given that those designations may become final this spring, we are moving forward quickly to identify where equipment and services from these suppliers are embedded in our communications networks and, where they do have a foothold, to be in a position to help remove them,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Today we’ve begun to collect the data we will need to protect our networks and protect the American people.” 

FCC and FTC Commissioners Announce Hearing on 5G, Privacy, and AI. 

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter announced they will jointly host a field hearing in Detroit, Michigan.  The hearing will discuss the intersecting roles of the FCC and FTC in promoting equity for 5G technology and big data.  The hearing is to be held on March 16, 2020.   

“The promises of an unprecedented level of connectivity with the deployment of 5G and sophisticated algorithms that utilize massive amounts of data are likely to transform the way we live, work, and play.  The highest levels of connectivity cannot and should not be reserved for the few; the benefits of 5G technology must meet the needs of all Americans, including low-income people, people of color, people living with disabilities, people residing in rural communities, children, and the many ways in which those identities intersect.  However, connecting all communities is only half the battle: When these Americans are connected, we must simultaneously work to minimize the privacy harms and other data abuses that may disproportionately fall on marginalized communities and particularly vulnerable populations, such as children.  During this hearing, participants will discuss how to create and sustain a more equitable and connected world both online and offline.” 

USDA Announces Texas Broadband Grant 

The USDA announced announced a $19 million investment in three, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for almost 7,000 rural households, 46 farms, 32 pre-subscribed businesses, 19 critical community facilities and 15 educational facilities in rural Texas. 

Specifically: 

• Border to Border Communications will use a $5 million ReConnect grant and a $5 million ReConnect loan to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network in rural Texas. The funded service area includes 5,153 households, 20 farms, 15 pre-subscribed businesses, 15 educational facilities, and 10 critical community facilities spread over 938 square miles in Webb and Zapata counties. 
• Mid-South Synergy will use a $6 million ReConnect grant to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in rural Texas. This network will be capable of symmetrical transmission speeds of at least 100 megabits per second (Mbps). The service area includes 786 households, 26 farms, 17 pre-subscribed businesses and seven critical community facilities spread over 385 square miles in Brazos, Grimes, Madison and Walker counties.  
• Peoples Telephone Cooperative Inc. will use a $3 million ReConnect grant to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in rural areas of Texas. The funded service area includes 914 households and two critical community facilities spread over 28 square miles in Titus, Camp and Wood counties.   

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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s 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.