More than broadband disparity delays precision agriculture, said an FCC Precision Agriculture Task Force member. Many talented agriculturists, scientists and engineers work on precision ag, but “what seems to be lacking is overall coordination across all entities,” said Fifth Estate Growers farmer Andy Bater. “Everyone is rowing awfully hard, but the precision agriculture boat would move faster if the oars dipped into the water at the same time.” It needs “coordination and funding at a scale seldom seen in modern times, a Manhattan Project-level effort,” he said. The task force reviewed three interim reports Wednesday, as well as recommendations from working groups on mapping and analyzing connectivity on agricultural lands, current and future connectivity demand for precision agriculture, and spurring precision ag adoption and connected-farm jobs. It discussed but didn’t plan to vote on the work of a fourth WG about speeding broadband deployment on unserved agricultural lands. With the task force one year into a two-year charter, Wednesday’s virtual meeting was a “midterm report,” with recommendations preliminary, said Chair Teddy Bekele, chief technology officer for Land O’Lakes. The task force will spend most of next year tightening and seeking synergy among recommendations, he said. Among preliminary recommendations, the connectivity WG suggested asking the FCC to include $500 million from the $9 billion 5G Fund for edge computing, private wireless systems and precision ag applications. It should also provide incentives, with accountability, for providers to cover fields and pasturelands with high-speed, low-latency wireless coverage, the subgroup said. “Getting connectivity ... to just a farmhouse is a bridge halfway on this initiative. We absolutely need to cover every acre of land,” said Connectivity WG Chair Daniel Leibfried, a technology director at John Deere. Apply the broadband serviceable location fabric to the Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Statistics Service and U.S. Geological Survey national land cover database to map coverage in cultivated land and agricultural areas, suggested the Mapping WG. Do drive testing and "ground truthing" to check coverage, it said. The subpanel will talk next year about adding a topological layer to maps, said WG Chair Michael Adelaine, South Dakota State University vice president-technology and security. “Terrain could be very impactful.”

More than broadband disparity delays precision agriculture, said an FCC Precision Agriculture Task Force member. Many talented agriculturists, scientists and engineers work on precision ag, but “what seems to be lacking is overall coordination across all entities,” said Fifth Estate Growers farmer Andy Bater. “Everyone is rowing awfully hard, but the precision agriculture boat would move faster if the oars dipped into the water at the same time.” It needs “coordination and funding at a scale seldom seen in modern times, a Manhattan Project-level effort,” he said. The task force reviewed three interim reports Wednesday, as well as recommendations from working groups on mapping and analyzing connectivity on agricultural lands, current and future connectivity demand for precision agriculture, and spurring precision ag adoption and connected-farm jobs. It discussed but didn’t plan to vote on the work of a fourth WG about speeding broadband deployment on unserved agricultural lands. With the task force one year into a two-year charter, Wednesday’s virtual meeting was a “midterm report,” with recommendations preliminary, said Chair Teddy Bekele, chief technology officer for Land O’Lakes. The task force will spend most of next year tightening and seeking synergy among recommendations, he said. Among preliminary recommendations, the connectivity WG suggested asking the FCC to include $500 million from the $9 billion 5G Fund for edge computing, private wireless systems and precision ag applications. It should also provide incentives, with accountability, for providers to cover fields and pasturelands with high-speed, low-latency wireless coverage, the subgroup said. “Getting connectivity ... to just a farmhouse is a bridge halfway on this initiative. We absolutely need to cover every acre of land,” said Connectivity WG Chair Daniel Leibfried, a technology director at John Deere. Apply the broadband serviceable location fabric to the Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Statistics Service and U.S. Geological Survey national land cover database to map coverage in cultivated land and agricultural areas, suggested the Mapping WG. Do drive testing and "ground truthing" to check coverage, it said. The subpanel will talk next year about adding a topological layer to maps, said WG Chair Michael Adelaine, South Dakota State University vice president-technology and security. “Terrain could be very impactful.”

Don’t spend state USF money where there's at least one unsubsidized provider, cable and wireless industries commented Monday in docket UM 2040 at the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Don't give support to any census block with at least one unsubsidized provider of voice or that was awarded federal or state high-cost or broadband funding, said the Oregon Cable Telecommunications Association. “The presence of an unsubsidized competitor should render an area ineligible for high cost support,” CTIA commented. The Oregon Telecommunications Association disagreed. Requiring OUSF only in areas without unsubsidized competition is "a premise that has no basis in statute,” it said. State law requires support "be provided to eligible telecommunications carriers in an amount that is equal to the difference between the cost of providing basic telephone service and the bench mark less any explicit compensation received by the carrier from federal sources specifically used to recover local loop costs and less any explicit support received by the carrier from a federal universal service program.” The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board urged “a clearer understanding of competition from unsubsidized services and their potential impact on subsidized services.”

The FCC approved a 5G Fund as expected Tuesday, with partial dissents by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks (see 2010230056). Commissioners also approved revised TV white spaces rules 5-0, raising additional questions in a Further NPRM, including on the use of the Longley-Rice irregular terrain model for looking at interference (see 2010220048).

Election watchers expect California to revamp its state privacy law through a Nov. 3 ballot vote. The replacement for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) could have national ramifications, experts told us. If voters agree, the proposed California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), or Proposition 24, would take effect Jan. 1, 2023. “The one-two punch here for the biggest platforms would be CPRA passing and Democrats sweeping the elections,” said Cowen analyst Paul Gallant.

FCC draft orders on expanding video description and allowing voluntary all-digital AM service are expected to be approved unanimously at Tuesday’s open meeting, said FCC and industry officials in interviews. Neither item has substantively changed from the draft versions released earlier this month (see 2010050056), FCC officials said. Ben Downs, vice president for early all-digital AM supporter Bryan Broadcasting, said he’s not surprised by the broad support for the AM radio order: “This is the right thing for everyone.” Items with unanimous support are sometimes voted ahead of open meetings, but that’s unlikely to happen with these, FCC officials said.

Election watchers expect California to revamp its state privacy law through a Nov. 3 ballot vote. The replacement for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) could have national ramifications, experts told us. If voters agree, the proposed California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), or Proposition 24, would take effect Jan. 1, 2023. “The one-two punch here for the biggest platforms would be CPRA passing and Democrats sweeping the elections,” said Cowen analyst Paul Gallant.

Election watchers expect California to revamp its state privacy law through a Nov. 3 ballot vote. The replacement for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) could have national ramifications, experts told us. If voters agree, the proposed California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), or Proposition 24, would take effect Jan. 1, 2023. “The one-two punch here for the biggest platforms would be CPRA passing and Democrats sweeping the elections,” said Cowen analyst Paul Gallant.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the Technology Policy Institute virtual conference Thursday that he's only following the advice of the Commerce Department and the FCC general counsel in proposing a rulemaking examining FCC control of internet platforms under Communications Decency Act Section 230. Pai emphasized the FCC is considering a narrow legal question. On a panel, experts said the FCC is underperforming on closing the digital divide.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the Technology Policy Institute virtual conference Thursday that he's only following the advice of the Commerce Department and the FCC general counsel in proposing a rulemaking examining FCC control of internet platforms under Communications Decency Act Section 230. Pai emphasized the FCC is considering a narrow legal question. On a panel, experts said the FCC is underperforming on closing the digital divide.