Virginia Enacts Bill Establishing Broadband Pilot Program

The Virginia legislature has passed a bill that requires the State Corporation Commission to establish pilot programs under which two electric companies can provide broadband capacity to nongovernmental Internet service providers in areas that are unserved by broadband.  The costs for the proposals of the utilities are each capped at $60 million annually.  The bill also authorizes the utilities to recover the net costs of the pilot program from customers through a rate adjustment clause and for them to own or lease broadband capacity equipment.  Finally, the bill requires the Commission to conduct proceedings to determine whether an area is unserved by broadband.  The bill becomes effective July 1, 2019.

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The Regulatory Mix Today:  Virginia Enacts Bill Establishing Broadband Pilot Program,  FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for April Meeting, FTC Announces Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for April Meeting

The FCC announced the tentative agenda for its April 12, 2019 Open Meeting.  The following items were included:

• 5G Incentive Auction Public Notice:  A Public Notice seeking comment on procedures for the incentive auction of Upper Microwave Flexible Use Licenses in the Upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz Bands (Auction 103) for Next Generation Wireless Services.
• 37 GHz & 50 GHz Spectrum Band Rules:  A Report and Order that would allow Fixed-Satellite Service earth stations to be individually licensed to transmit in the 50 GHz band and would establish a process for the Department of Defense to operate on a shared basis in the Upper 37 GHz band in limited circumstances.
• Fixed Wireless Infrastructure Rules:  A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to modernize the Commission’s rule for over-the-air-reception devices (OTARD) to facilitate the deployment of modern fixed wireless infrastructure.
• Channel Lineup Requirements:  A Report and Order that would eliminate the requirement that cable operators maintain a channel lineup at their local office and would eliminate the requirement that certain cable operators make their channel lineup available via their online public inspection file.
• USTelecom Partial Forbearance:  A Memorandum Opinion and Order that would grant forbearance to Bell Operating Companies and independent incumbent carriers from certain unnecessary and outdated structural and nondiscrimination requirements.
• Rural Phone Rates:  A Report and Order that would eliminate the high-cost program’s rate floor rule and end the federal mandate that raises the telephone rates paid by many rural Americans.

FTC Announces Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection 

The FTC announced the details for its 11th hearing dealing with competition, consumer protection, and privacy.

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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.

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