Today's Regulatory Mix: FCC Finalizes Agenda for July Meeting, FCC Announces Success Of 600 MHz band Spectrum Transition, US Congress National Broadband Plan for the Future Act

FCC Finalizes Agenda for July Meeting

The FCC announced the final agenda for its July 16, 2020 Open Meeting.  The items are as follows:

• Designating 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – A Report and Order that would designate 988 as the 3-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to aid rapid access to suicide prevention and mental health support services.

• Call Blocking Rules – A Third Report and Order, Order on Reconsideration, and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would continue the Commission’s work to combat unwanted and illegal calls and implement portions of the TRACED Act.

• Secure Networks Act Implementation – A Declaratory Ruling and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would integrate provisions of the recently enacted Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 into its existing supply chain rulemaking proceeding.

• Wireless E911 Location Accuracy Requirements – A Sixth Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration that would further its effort to improve vertical (or Z-Axis) location accuracy for wireless 911 calls, which will help first responders quickly locate people calling for help from multi-story buildings.

• Modernizing Priority Services Rules – A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would streamline and update the FCC’s rules to ensure that priority service programs operate effectively for emergency workers as technology evolves.

• Leased Commercial Access – A Second Report that would modernize the leased access rate formula by adopting a tier-based calculation.

• Improving Broadband Data and Maps – A Second Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would establish requirements to ensure that the Commission collects accurate and granular data on the availability of broadband service through the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, and would seek comment on additional measures to implement the requirements of the Broadband DATA Act.

FCC Announces Success Of 600 MHz band Spectrum Transition

The FCC announced that the post-incentive auction transition has successfully reached the July 13, 2020 deadline established for television stations to move off their pre-auction channel assignments.  As a result, all of the valuable low-band airwaves sold in the ground-breaking broadcast incentive auction are now available for wireless mobile broadband services. This newly licensed 600 MHz band spectrum is already benefiting millions of U.S. consumers, as it is being used to provide wireless service, including 5G, across the country. And with the end of the transition, the broader deployment of this spectrum will further help close the digital divide in rural America, ease congestion on wireless networks, promote the widespread availability of 5G, and spur job creation and economic growth.

“Today represents a milestone in the Commission’s effort to repurpose spectrum to meet the demands of wireless consumers,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “I want to thank the broadcast and wireless industries, the tower crews, the equipment manufacturers, and the radio frequency engineers who support them for the hard work they have done over the past 39 months to make the benefits of the broadcast incentive auction a reality. I also want to thank the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force, along with a team of professionals from across the Commission, who worked in a proactive, flexible, and collaborative way with industry throughout the transition. I appreciate their deep commitment to public service and their dedication to making this challenging project a success for American consumers.”

US Congress National Broadband Plan for the Future Act

Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced the National Broadband Plan for the Future Act (HR 7520)*, legislation that instructs the FCC to update the National Broadband Plan to expand internet access across the U.S. and study how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the online lives of Americans.  The Act is companion legislation to S. 4022, which was introduced in the Senate by Senator Ed Markey. See the Regulatory Mix dated 5/12/20.

“Universal access to reliable, affordable, and high-quality internet is essential in today’s world, and it’s especially needed as we conduct more of our personal and professional lives online during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo. “Updating our decade-old National Broadband Plan is fundamental for policymakers to develop strategic, holistic, and thoughtful solutions to deliver universal access to broadband.”

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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.