The FCC previously indicated it was investigating reports that U.S. phone companies were selling access to their customers’ real-time location information to data aggregators. However, no details about the investigation have been released and the FCC has not taken any public action to ensure the activity has stopped.
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The Regulatory Mix Today: FCC’s Rosenworcel Seeks Update on Sale of Location Data, FCC Revises Draft Broadband Deployment Report, FCC Report on Broadband Deployment in Indian Country
The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced it had provided the Commissioners with a revised draft of the 2019 Broadband Deployment Report. The revision reflects a thorough review of the initial draft triggered by the discovery that a company submitted drastically overstated deployment data to the FCC. According to the Public Notice, the revised report continues to support the conclusion that significant progress has been made in closing the digital divide in America. Specifically:
Chairman Pai issued the following statement regarding the revised report: “We’re pleased that the FCC’s policy of making deployment data open and transparent to the public resulted in this error being discovered. Fortunately, the new data doesn’t change the report’s fundamental conclusion: we are closing the digital divide, which means we’re delivering on the FCC’s top priority. We’re achieving this result by removing barriers to infrastructure investment, promoting competition, and providing efficient, effective support for rural broadband expansion through our Universal Service Fund programs. I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners to continue making progress toward that goal in the coming year.”
The FCC released its first report evaluating broadband coverage in Indian country and on land held by a Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The report was required by legislative changes adopted in 2018. The report shows that, while deployment to Tribal lands has increased in recent years, additional work remains to increase deployment to the certain Tribal areas and reach the goal of closing the digital divide for all Americans.
Tribal lands experience lower rates of both fixed and mobile broadband deployment as compared to non-Tribal areas of the United States, particularly in rural areas. For example:
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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.
The FCC said it would initiate a proceeding in the near term to address these deployment challenges and help to close the broadband gap on Tribal lands.