Today:  FCC Waives Certain Rules for Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, Connecticut Schedules Hearing In Pole Attachment Overlashing Case, Louisiana Opts In to FirstNet; Washington & Oregon Issue Joint RFP

FCC Waives Certain Rules for Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

The FCC will waive § 90.20(d)(28) of its rules to facilitate use of two nationwide interoperability channels (151.1375 MHz and 154.4525 MHz) in the Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (USVI).  A waiver is necessary because that rule does not authorize public safety use of the designated frequencies in Puerto Rico and the USVI.  The waiver will allow public safety agencies to use these frequencies in support of hurricane response and recovery activities.  In Puerto Rico and the USVI, only three of the five interoperability channels (VCALL10, VTAC13, and VTAC14) are available for public safety use.  VTAC11 (151.1375 MHz) is allocated to the Industrial/Business Pool in Puerto Rico and the USVI and VTAC12 (154.4525 MHz) is currently unavailable for licensing in either location.

Connecticut Schedules Hearing In Pole Attachment Overlashing Case

The Public Utility Regulatory Authority announced that a hearing for the purpose of considering evidence regarding pole attachment overlashing requirements will be held on November 9, 2017.  It was previously scheduled for July 12, 2017.  The PURA issued an Interim Decision in May 2017 stating that overlashing will continue to be performed under current pole attachment agreements with certain changes until a final Decision is issued.  The third-party overlasher will provide both the telephone custodian and the single pole administrator with notice to overlash and technical data required for the new overlash cables for the pole owners to evaluate the effect of pole loading.  No later than five working days, after submitting the technical data, authorization will be issued to overlash provided no safety issues are identified.  If safety issues are identified, the pole owners will have up to 14 days to correct the safety issues and issue authorization to overlash no later than 19 working days after the submittal of the notification to overlash.

Louisiana Opts In to FirstNet; Washington & Oregon Issue Joint RFP

Louisiana:  Governor Edwards announced that Louisiana opts in for FirstNet  "The entire State of Louisiana will benefit from this decision,” said the Governor.  “From natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes, to other planned events like Mardi Gras, hosting Super Bowls or other large sporting events, Louisiana has many unique times when communications systems can become strained.  …  The sharing of instant information will only become more critical in the future.  There is a lot to be done, but the system will ultimately help protect our citizens and first responders.”

Washington & Oregon:  Governors Inslee and Brown have jointly issued a request for proposals (RFP) to operate a high-speed, wireless broadband data network dedicated to public safety.  The network will not replace existing public safety radio networks, but will be another tool to ensure that first responders can communicate in times of disasters that tend to overwhelm existing networks.  Congress has mandated that states participate in the FirstNet program, however states have the option to “opt-out” of the federal network construction and build their own infrastructure.  By joining together to issue the RFP, officials in Washington and Oregon say they’ll be able to make a more informed choice about the best option for building a network that serves the unique needs of the Northwest, especially in rural communities.

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The Regulatory Mix, TMI’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 a TMI Briefing.