Today:  US Senate Committee Field Hearing on Broadband Infrastructure, FCC’s Secure Data Enclave for Accessing BDS Data Will Close,  Wisconsin Broadband Grants 

US Senate Committee Field Hearing on the Importance of Expanding Broadband Infrastructure

Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) convened a field hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, where she highlighted the importance of expanding broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas throughout New Hampshire and across the country.  Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Commissioner was one of the witnesses along with executives from Alpha Loft; Consolidated Communications; UNH; US Cellular; and Sequoya Technologies.

Senator Hassan highlighted her work to expand broadband technologies and close the digital divide between urban and rural areas in New Hampshire and across America, including the bipartisan AIRWAVES Act she introduced with Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) that would create a spectrum pipeline to avoid a “spectrum crunch,” as well as leverage the success of spectrum auctions to help close the urban-rural divide. 

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel commented that:

“No matter who you are or where you live in this country, you need access to modern communications for a fair shot at 21st century success,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel stated.  “It is simply unacceptable that far too many Americans lack access to broadband.  I thank Senator Hassan for holding this important hearing and for her efforts to address the urban-rural digital divide.  I look forward to continue working together so that no child misses out on an opportunity to develop digital skills that are essential for education and the modern economy.”

FCC’s Secure Data Enclave For Accessing BDS Data Will Close

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced that the secure data enclave used by authorized parties for accessing and analyzing highly confidential data filed in the business data services proceeding will close on December 31, 2017.  After that date, parties will no longer have access to the secure data enclave, including the business data services data, analytical software, and any virtual lockers containing nodes and analysis results.  Any data saved to the virtual lockers will be deleted and parties will no longer be able to request copies from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC).  Up until December 31, 2017, parties may remove their notes, analysis results, or other documents from the secure data enclave subject to NORC’s release process and protective orders. 

Wisconsin Broadband Grants

Governor Scott Walker announced that the PSC will conduct a second broadband grant cycle in FY 2018.  The PSC will award up to $7.5 million in grants from the funds recently approved in the state budget that Governor Walker signed into law in September.  Applications for the Broadband Expansion Grants are due at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin by January 25, 2018.  See the Governor’s press release for more details.  Click here for link to the application instructions and information on previous grants. 

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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.