Today:  California Changes Lifeline Portability Freeze, FCC Wireless Infrastructure Deployment, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's Statement 

California Changes Lifeline Portability Freeze

The PUC of California has issued a temporary modification to its 60-day benefit portability freeze for the California Lifeline Program (Lifeline).  The ruling temporarily reduces the duration from 60 days to 24 hours and temporarily suspends the exceptions to the Lifeline benefit portability freeze.  Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers please see Briefing dated 3/20/18.

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FCC Wireless Infrastructure Deployment

At its March Open Meeting, the FCC voted to adopt new rules streamlining the wireless infrastructure siting review process to facilitate the deployment of next-generation wireless facilities.  The Order is intended to reduce regulatory impediments to deploying small cells needed for 5G and help to expand the reach of 5G for faster, more reliable wireless service and other advanced wireless technologies to more Americans.  Among other things, the Order:

• Excludes small wireless facilities deployed on non-Tribal lands from National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, concluding that these facilities are not “undertakings” or “major federal actions.” 
• Clarifies and makes improvements to the process for Tribal participation in Section 106 historic preservation reviews for large wireless facilities where NHPA/NEPA review is still required.
• Removes the requirement that applicants file Environmental Assessments solely due to the location of a proposed facility in a floodplain, as long as certain conditions are met.
• Establishes timeframes for the Commission to act on Environmental Assessments.

Small wireless facilities deployments continue to be subject to currently applicable state and local government approval requirements.  Inteserra Regulatory Briefing Service subscribers watch for upcoming Briefing.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr issues a statement after the meeting saying: “Winning the global race to 5G, and ensuring that more Americans get access to more broadband is a top priority.  That’s why I am glad the FCC adopted my proposal to modernize our infrastructure deployment rules, and am pleased to see the broad coalition of groups that support this decision. 5G won’t just mean faster broadband, it will support the next wave of American entrepreneurship and innovation—everything from smart cities to remote surgery to the Internet of Things. Whether you live in a big city or a rural town, broadband is key to economic opportunity and job creation. Outdated federal regulations shouldn’t be what stands in the way of connectivity for any community. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and all stakeholders on these efforts.”

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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.