Maine Governor Proposes $15 Million to Expand Broadband 

In her State of the State address, Governor Janet Mills announced steps to implement the State’s new 10-year economic development plan to diversify and strengthen the Maine economy and prepare for any economic downturn which included a proposal of $15 million to expand broadband.  

“High-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.  Increasing access to high speed internet will allow our businesses to expand and allow all people to connect with schools, health care providers and markets around the country and around the world.  This session, I propose that the Legislature fund $15 million to expand broadband for Maine people and businesses.  We can no longer afford to wait.”   

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Regulatory Mix Today:  Maine Governor Proposes $15 Million to Expand Broadband, GAO Releases Report on FirstNet Deployment, FCC Authorizes Full Commercial Deployment in 3.5GHz Band _____________________________________________________________________________________________

GAO Releases Report on FirstNet Deployment 

The Government Accountability Office has released a report on FirstNet's progress and oversight.  GAO examined the extent to which (1) AT&T is meeting milestones for the network's coverage and adoption and (2) FirstNet is overseeing AT&T in accordance with key practices.    

GAO found that AT&T has made progress deploying the network and meeting contractual milestones and goals, and FirstNet has employed a variety of mechanisms—many of which align with key practices—to oversee AT&T’s performance. However, the success of the network depends not only on AT&T’s contract execution and FirstNet’s oversight but also on the confidence of the end users, the nation’s first responders. As FirstNet enters the next phases of its partnership with AT&T, the GAO said it could reduce the risks to the network’s long-term success by strengthening its schedule oversight; increasing transparency, communication, and reporting of additional information to states and other public-safety stakeholders; and obtaining  and using meaningful information on the satisfaction of the first responders for whom the network is intended. 

GAO made four recommendations, as follows:  

• FirstNet’s Chief Executive Officer should take steps to ensure that the integrated master schedule for the program is developed and maintained in accordance with the best practices provided in GAO’s Schedule Assessment Guide.  
• FirstNet’s Chief Executive Officer should identify additional information about the program, including FirstNet’s oversight and monitoring activities, that can be shared with public-safety stakeholders and periodically communicate and report this information to them.  
• FirstNet’s Chief Executive Officer should share relevant portions of the accepted state-specific commitment reports with the states, as specified in the contract.   
• FirstNet’s Chief Executive Officer should, in consultation with public-safety stakeholders and its contractor, as appropriate, identify and obtain periodic information or meaningful indicators on end-users’ satisfaction that would serve as a metric to gauge performance quality, including the effect of the FirstNet network and products on public-safety operations.  
  

GAO said that FirstNet agreed with its recommendations.  

FCC Authorizes Full Commercial Deployment In 3.5 GHz Band 

The FCC announced it certified four Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, paving the way for full commercial operations in the 3.5 GHz band.  Last year, the FCC approved these SAS Administrators for initial commercial deployments.  The most recent action allows for full commercial use of this critical mid-band spectrum for broadband connectivity and 5G.  The four SAS administrators are CommScope, Federated Wireless, Inc., Google and Sony, Inc.   

In response to the announcement, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai issued a statement saying: “The FCC has made it a priority to free up mid-band spectrum for advanced wireless services like 5G. And today, I’m pleased to announce the latest step to achieve that priority: the approval of four systems that will enable the 3.5 GHz band to be put to use for the benefit of American consumers and businesses.  As with all of our efforts to execute on the 5G FAST plan, we’re pushing to get next-generation wireless services deployed in the 3.5 GHz band as quickly and efficiently as possible. I would like to thank Commissioner Mike O’Rielly for his leadership throughout this proceeding as well as the FCC staff and those in the private sector who have worked so hard to achieve this milestone.” 

___________________________

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.