Today's Regulatory Mix:  FCC Finalizes Agenda for August Meeting, USDA Announces Funding for Maryland Broadband

FCC Finalizes Agenda for August Meeting

The FCC announced the final agenda for its August 6, 2020 Open Meeting. It includes the following items:

• Inmate Calling Services – A Report and Order on Remand and a Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would respond to remands by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and propose to comprehensively reform rates and charges for the inmate calling services within the Commission’s jurisdiction.
• Telecommunications Relay Service – A Report and Order to repeal certain TRS rules that are no longer needed in light of changes in technology and voice communications services.
• C-band Auction Procedures – A Public Notice that would adopt procedures for the auction of new flexible-use overlay licenses in the 3.7–3.98 GHz band (Auction 107) for 5G, the Internet of Things, and other advanced wireless services.
• Radio Duplication Rules – A Report and Order that would address the radio duplication rule.
• Common Antenna Siting Rules – A Report and Order that would eliminate the common antenna siting rules for FM and TV broadcaster applicants and licensees.

USDA Announces Funding for Maryland Broadband

The USDA announced is investing more than $13 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Maryland.  Specifically, in rural Maryland, Easton Utilities Commission will use a $13.1 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 8,607 people, 144 farms, 183 businesses, eight educational facilities and one nursing home to high-speed broadband internet in Talbot County.

“The need for rural broadband has never been more apparent than it is now – as our nation manages the coronavirus national emergency. Access to telehealth services, remote learning for school children, and remote business operations all require access to broadband,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “I am so proud of our rural communities who have been working day in and day out, just like they always do, producing the food and fiber America depends on. We need them more than ever during these trying times, and expanding access to this critical infrastructure will help ensure rural America prospers for years to come.”

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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.