Today's Regulatory Mix: US Congress Broadband Mapping Bill, FCC Seeks Comment For 2020 CVAA Report
US Congress Broadband Mapping Bill
The US House passed, by unanimous consent, S. 1822, the bipartisan Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act. The bill is intended to improve efforts to collect more accurate internet availability data, boost connectivity, and make sure our limited resources are used to deploy broadband in communities that need it most. Specifically, the bill would require the FCC to issue new rules on and establish a process for the collection and dissemination of broadband availability data. The bill now goes to the President to be signed into law. The bill includes provisions of two bills that passed the House in December 2019.
In response to the bill’s passage, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Committee members Reps. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and A. Donald McEachin (D-VA) released the following statement: “Today, the House once again passed legislation to fix our nation’s faulty broadband maps. This bill is the result of an agreement with the Senate to merge multiple bills into one package that can be signed by the President. Accurately mapping the availability of broadband internet service is essential to promoting the deployment of high-speed service to all Americans, especially those in unserved and underserved areas. It’s unfortunate that the Federal Communications Commission has failed to address these issues on its own, but this bipartisan bill marks a huge step forward in building out broadband where it is needed. We expect the Senate to act quickly on this bill and send it to the President’s desk so we can target future investments in broadband to the areas that need it the most.”
Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta (R-OH) released the following statement: “While our way of life is becoming more reliant on technologies, 19 million Americans – including one-fourth of people in rural areas – still do not have access to broadband services. We cannot expand broadband to communities who lack adequate access without understanding exactly where those communities are, which is why this effort is so important. This bipartisan bill will help us assess the availability of internet across our country and take the necessary steps to improve connectivity for all Americans, regardless of their zip code. Importantly, this bill will also make sure we do not repeat past mistakes by better directing our limited resources to the communities who need them most. We look forward to our Senate colleagues taking swift action on this bill and President Trump signing it into law.
FCC Seeks Comment For 2020 CVAA Report
The FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau is seeking comment in connection with its biennial report required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). The biennial report must be submitted to Congress by October 8, 2020. The Bureau invites comment on compliance with statutory mandates for telecommunications and advanced communications services (ACS), equipment used with these services, and Internet browsers built into mobile phones, to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. It also seeks comment on the extent to which accessibility barriers still exist with respect to new communications technologies, and the effect of CVAA recordkeeping and enforcement requirements on the development and deployment of new communications technologies Comments are due March 30, 2020.
____________________________
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.
