Today:  Mayors Confront Net Neutrality, New USAC Board Member, FCC Accenture Report on Wireless Infrastructure

Mayors are Using Their Purchasing Power to Confront Net Neutrality

Several large city mayors have collaborated with a Free Press launched website to promise not to procure Internet  services from companies that violate net neutrality principles and that their cities will not violate those principles either in their public Wi-Fi or broadband.   Some of the Mayors already signed on include:

• Mayor Bill de Blasio — New York,
• Mayor Steve Adler — Austin, TX
• Mayor Ted Wheeler — Portland, OR
• Mayor Ron Nirenberg — San Antonio, TX
• Mayor Sly James — Kansas City, MO
• Mayor Mark Farrell — San Francisco, CA
• Mayor Catherine E. Pugh — Baltimore, MD
• Mayor Barney Seney — Putnam, CT
• Mayor Paul Soglin — Madison, WI
• Mayor Sam Liccardo — San Jose, CA
• Mayor Jacob Frey — Minneapolis, MN
• Mayor Ethan Strimling — Portland, Maine
• Mayor Steve Schewel — Durham, North Carolina

New USAC Board Member

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appointed Sarah Freeman, Commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company.  The appointment fills the vacancy left by the Honorable Ronald A. Brise, former Commissioner, Florida Public Service Commission.

FCC Touts Accenture Report On Wireless Infrastructure

The FCC issued a News Release highlighting a report issued by consulting firm Accenture that estimates the FCC’s proposed wireless infrastructure order would save Americans $1.56 billion and create more than 17,000 jobs.  The Order, to be considered at the FCC’s March meeting (See our Blog Checking In @The FCC- The March Open Meeting posted 2/9/18)) would exempt small cells from certain federal historic and environmental reviews while streamlining those reviews for traditional macrocell sites.  The Accenture report found that:

• 29 percent of current small cell deployment costs come from NEPA/NHPA review
• Federal environmental and historic reviews cost nearly $10,000 per small cell
• The order would save Americans $1.56 billion between 2018-2026 alone

The private sector is projected to invest $275 billion to upgrade America’s wireless service to 5G. The order’s cost savings alone would allow wireless providers to create more than 17,000 jobs and build in excess of 57,000 small cells, based on data derived from the report. “Today’s report makes clear that cutting red tape means more broadband for more Americans,” said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. “Eliminating unnecessary regulations will provide better broadband, connect underserved areas, and create jobs. I look forward to ensuring America is ‘5G Ready’ and that we win the global race to 5G.” #checkingin@thefcc

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 The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’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 an Inteserra Briefing.