The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act Wednesday. HR-4824, from Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, would streamline federal broadband permitting processes by requiring the Department of Agriculture to create a program that would sign memorandums of understanding with state governments to delegate them with permitting of broadband projects in operational rights of way. HR-4824 would require the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management designate broadband projects in existing operational rights of way as categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act. The bill “will empower States and Tribal governments to more efficiently bring this resource to rural communities and help spur economic development in these areas,” Curtis said. CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole said it would “streamline federal siting, accelerate deployment of wireless infrastructure in rural areas, and help close the digital divide."

The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act Wednesday. HR-4824, from Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, would streamline federal broadband permitting processes by requiring the Department of Agriculture to create a program that would sign memorandums of understanding with state governments to delegate them with permitting of broadband projects in operational rights of way. HR-4824 would require the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management designate broadband projects in existing operational rights of way as categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act. The bill “will empower States and Tribal governments to more efficiently bring this resource to rural communities and help spur economic development in these areas,” Curtis said. CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole said it would “streamline federal siting, accelerate deployment of wireless infrastructure in rural areas, and help close the digital divide."

A March FCC order on wireless infrastructure attracted reconsideration petitions this week from localities, a major American Indian tribe and a tower company in docket 17-79. NATOA said the order isn’t in the public interest, fails to acknowledge existing limits and ignores impact of dense deployments in small areas, among other problems. It “will inflict serious injury” on tribes, said the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. The move is a “step forward,” but the FCC should have stepped further, said T-Mobile unit and tower company PTA-FLA. Residents of Montgomery County, Maryland, also sought reconsideration due to concerns including about possible radiation from RF emissions.

The FCC said Friday that as of May 31, 64 entities had access to the Universal Service Administrator Co.'s Mobility Fund Phase II challenge process portal to participate in the process, two days after Chairman Ajit Pai said he would extend the challenge period. Parties with access include 37 carriers required to file Form 477 data, seven state governments, six local governments, 11 tribal government entities and three "other" entities, said a public notice. The Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and Wireless and Wireline bureaus said they will provide further updates. Pai told lawmakers he backed extending a challenge process window by 90 days for the $4.53 billion Connect America Fund Mobility Fund II, and he directed the task force "to figure out the procedural steps necessary" to do that. "By lengthening the period during which challenges can be submitted, challengers will have an opportunity to conduct additional tests, which in turn means a more accurate map for carrying out the Mobility Fund Phase II auction," Pai wrote, responding Wednesday to a bipartisan letter the same day from Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and 29 Senate colleagues posted Thursday (exchange here).

The FCC said Friday that as of May 31, 64 entities had access to the Universal Service Administrator Co.'s Mobility Fund Phase II challenge process portal to participate in the process, two days after Chairman Ajit Pai said he would extend the challenge period. Parties with access include 37 carriers required to file Form 477 data, seven state governments, six local governments, 11 tribal government entities and three "other" entities, said a public notice. The Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and Wireless and Wireline bureaus said they will provide further updates. Pai told lawmakers he backed extending a challenge process window by 90 days for the $4.53 billion Connect America Fund Mobility Fund II, and he directed the task force "to figure out the procedural steps necessary" to do that. "By lengthening the period during which challenges can be submitted, challengers will have an opportunity to conduct additional tests, which in turn means a more accurate map for carrying out the Mobility Fund Phase II auction," Pai wrote, responding Wednesday to a bipartisan letter the same day from Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and 29 Senate colleagues posted Thursday (exchange here).

Mescalero Apache Telecom petitioned the FCC to let the carrier show it qualifies for relief from operations expense (opex) limitations under an April order giving tribal-oriented carriers additional USF subsidy support. Mescalero sought to reconsider a prohibition against carriers receiving the extra funding if they deploy 10/1 Mbps broadband to 90 percent or more of tribal housing units. The tribal telco asked "that, consistent with steps the Commission has taken with respect to other high-cost program rules limiting support based on Form 477 deployment data, carriers subject to the 90 percent condition be permitted to submit additional information" to get relief, said a petition Wednesday in docket 10-90. In April, Chairman Ajit Pai and tribal representatives voiced concern the order prevented Mescalero from receiving further funding (see 1804050028 and 1804060042). Mescalero recently lobbied an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who sought conditions (see 1805230043). Sacred Wind Communications also filed a petition, asking the FCC Thursday to reconsider the 90 percent cap, and if not, its determination that Sacred Wind is ineligible for relief.

Mescalero Apache Telecom petitioned the FCC to let the carrier show it qualifies for relief from operations expense (opex) limitations under an April order giving tribal-oriented carriers additional USF subsidy support. Mescalero sought to reconsider a prohibition against carriers receiving the extra funding if they deploy 10/1 Mbps broadband to 90 percent or more of tribal housing units. The tribal telco asked "that, consistent with steps the Commission has taken with respect to other high-cost program rules limiting support based on Form 477 deployment data, carriers subject to the 90 percent condition be permitted to submit additional information" to get relief, said a petition Wednesday in docket 10-90. In April, Chairman Ajit Pai and tribal representatives voiced concern the order prevented Mescalero from receiving further funding (see 1804050028 and 1804060042). Mescalero recently lobbied an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who sought conditions (see 1805230043). Sacred Wind Communications also filed a petition, asking the FCC Thursday to reconsider the 90 percent cap, and if not, its determination that Sacred Wind is ineligible for relief.

The FCC should correct a "flaw" in Universal Service Administrative Co. implementation of a Lifeline national verifier (NV) that will "effectively deny" millions of rural low-income Americans access to mobile broadband services, said a Q Link Wireless filing posted Tuesday in docket 17-287 on a meeting with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, and a Wireless Bureau official. The Lifeline provider said "plans for machine-to-machine interfaces (i.e. application programming interfaces, or APIs) that would have permitted carrier-assisted, online verification and enrollment of Lifeline consumers" were mysteriously removed from USAC's design: "No one with whom we have spoken at USAC or at the Commission seems to know who decided to remove APIs or why that was done." The planned NV "would permit consumer online eligibility verification if the consumer can navigate that process without the carrier, and it would permit carriers using agents to have the agents assist consumers with eligibility verification and enrollment, but it will not support both online eligibility verification and carrier assistance to consumers at the same time," Q Link said. "This is fundamentally irrational, and cannot be based on any discernable [sic] technical or network security grounds." Many rural Americans, "who have far less access to in-person assistance and disproportionately depend on web-based enrollment," will be "abandoned," it said, urging the FCC to direct USAC to restore APIs before the NV's "hard launch" later this year: "The good news is that there are technical solutions that would make it relatively easy, with a minimum amount of additional development time (Q Link estimates 20 hours), to develop these APIs to permit online, carrier-assisted eligibility verification and enrollment in a single, non-mandatory carrier process." The FCC didn't comment Wednesday. Meanwhile, NARUC pressed its arguments opposing an FCC proposal to exclude pure resellers from Lifeline and supporting a proposal to restore state Lifeline carrier designation authority, said a filing on a meeting with an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. The National Lifeline Association filed comments objecting to new FCC tribal Lifeline subscriber notice requirements, saying the agency "has not taken seriously" its Paperwork Reduction Act duties to minimize provider burdens.

CTIA asked the FCC to act on changes to rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band at the July 12 commissioners' meeting. The Wednesday letter by President Meredith Baker said unless the FCC acts soon, the U.S. will fall behind other countries in the race to 5G. CTIA asked the FCC to approve rules based on its April proposal made with the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804240067). The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) pushed for small priority access licenses (PALs) in the band, with no major changes from the Obama administration rules.

CTIA asked the FCC to act on changes to rules for the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band at the July 12 commissioners' meeting. The Wednesday letter by President Meredith Baker said unless the FCC acts soon, the U.S. will fall behind other countries in the race to 5G. CTIA asked the FCC to approve rules based on its April proposal made with the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804240067). The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) pushed for small priority access licenses (PALs) in the band, with no major changes from the Obama administration rules.