The FCC played down the policy influence of Elizabeth Pierce -- the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee ex-chair arrested by the FBI last week for alleged wire fraud involving an Alaska fiber project (see 1804130055) -- after a government watchdog urged the commission to review the Quintillion ex-CEO’s BDAC work from April 2017 to September. Pierce’s alleged crimes accentuate local concerns about corporate control of the BDAC, said former member San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who in January resigned in protest of imbalance between corporate and local members. One BDAC member defended the group.
House and Senate Commerce leaders told us they aim to continue work on telecom infrastructure legislation and tackle a raft of other communications policy issues, after their success just before the recess in enacting a range of telecom policy provisions as part of the $1.3 trillion FY 2018 omnibus spending bill (see 1803210041, 1803210068, 1803220048 and 1803230038). How the committees will prioritize those issues remained unclear last week, though the lawmakers and lobbyists acknowledged that follow-up on last week’s twin hearings with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the Cambridge Analytica data privacy controversy (see 1804100054 and 1804110065) could be a lingering factor. It’s beginning to look increasingly less likely that Capitol Hill will be able to produce any communications legislation of the same scope as what lawmakers accomplished in the omnibus, in part because of the dwindling legislative timeline before the November midterm elections, lobbyists said.
House and Senate Commerce leaders told us they aim to continue work on telecom infrastructure legislation and tackle a raft of other communications policy issues, after their success just before the recess in enacting a range of telecom policy provisions as part of the $1.3 trillion FY 2018 omnibus spending bill (see 1803210041, 1803210068, 1803220048 and 1803230038). How the committees will prioritize those issues remained unclear last week, though the lawmakers and lobbyists acknowledged that follow-up on last week’s twin hearings with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the Cambridge Analytica data privacy controversy (see 1804100054 and 1804110065) could be a lingering factor. It’s beginning to look increasingly less likely that Capitol Hill will be able to produce any communications legislation of the same scope as what lawmakers accomplished in the omnibus, in part because of the dwindling legislative timeline before the November midterm elections, lobbyists said.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., promoted his Tribal Connect Act (S-2205) during an American Library Association event Thursday, seeking support from the group and others for the bill. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., separately filed her Community Connect Grant Program Act, which like S-2205 is aimed at broadband projects in rural and tribal communities. S-2205 would “steer much-needed federal investments" to close the digital divide "in rural and tribal communities," Heinrich said. The bill would establish a pilot program that would allow designations of tribal communities without libraries as an “anchor institution” eligible for USF E-rate funding. It also would provide training to help tribes implement E-rate and direct the FCC to work with tribes to develop E-rate eligibility requirements for their libraries. Smith's bill would codify the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service's Community Connect Grant Program into law and increase internet speed service under the program. Heinrich tied S-2205 into Hill lawmakers' broader push to develop broadband-related bills aimed for inclusion in a broader infrastructure bill responding to President Donald Trump's February proposal, which urges streamlining the permitting process and includes $200 billion in funding (see 1802110001 and 1802120001). E-rate “spurs the development of broadband networks in underserved communities,” Heinrich said. But the program's current requirements and application process don't “reflect the unique infrastructure challenges and needs in Indian Country,” which has made it difficult for tribes to qualify. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn didn't endorse S-2205 during the event but pushed for efforts to increase tribal eligibility and participation in E-rate as a way of closing the digital divide, noting that “broadband investment is critical infrastructure investment which is increasingly determining which city, county, town or tribal nation thrives or not.” ALA “wholeheartedly supports” S-2205, said President Jim Neal.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., promoted his Tribal Connect Act (S-2205) during an American Library Association event Thursday, seeking support from the group and others for the bill. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., separately filed her Community Connect Grant Program Act, which like S-2205 is aimed at broadband projects in rural and tribal communities. S-2205 would “steer much-needed federal investments" to close the digital divide "in rural and tribal communities," Heinrich said. The bill would establish a pilot program that would allow designations of tribal communities without libraries as an “anchor institution” eligible for USF E-rate funding. It also would provide training to help tribes implement E-rate and direct the FCC to work with tribes to develop E-rate eligibility requirements for their libraries. Smith's bill would codify the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service's Community Connect Grant Program into law and increase internet speed service under the program. Heinrich tied S-2205 into Hill lawmakers' broader push to develop broadband-related bills aimed for inclusion in a broader infrastructure bill responding to President Donald Trump's February proposal, which urges streamlining the permitting process and includes $200 billion in funding (see 1802110001 and 1802120001). E-rate “spurs the development of broadband networks in underserved communities,” Heinrich said. But the program's current requirements and application process don't “reflect the unique infrastructure challenges and needs in Indian Country,” which has made it difficult for tribes to qualify. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn didn't endorse S-2205 during the event but pushed for efforts to increase tribal eligibility and participation in E-rate as a way of closing the digital divide, noting that “broadband investment is critical infrastructure investment which is increasingly determining which city, county, town or tribal nation thrives or not.” ALA “wholeheartedly supports” S-2205, said President Jim Neal.
Tribal telco representatives praised FCC targeted USF relief, but one voiced concern about a left-out carrier, and the others said further steps are needed. The agency Thursday voted, with Chairman Ajit Pai partially concurring and Democratic commissioners partially dissenting, for relaxed operating-expense restrictions on rate-of-return telcos primarily serving tribal lands, attaching broadband conditions to target the extra funding (see 1804050028). It's "significant for the providers and the communities they serve," emailed Patrick Halley, Wilkinson Barker counsel to Saddleback Communications, one of five carriers staff expects to be covered. "While more can certainly be done to address the Tribal broadband deployment gap, Chairman Pai and the Commission are to be commended for recognizing the higher costs incurred in maintaining and deploying broadband networks on Tribal lands," he said. "We are pleased the commission recognized the need of some of the tribes," said Randy Tyree of GRTyree Consulting, who represents the National Tribal Telecommunications Association and Mescalero Apache Telecom. "We're very concerned about Mescalero Apache not being able to receive relief just because they built out their broadband further than the others. Without this relief, Mescalero is certainly going to have to look at other alternatives" for funding. Mescalero wants "to remain constructive and see what" it can do with the agency, he added. Gila River Telecommunications, another carrier expected to receive relief, is pleased the FCC "has finally adopted this order that will ensure USF support better reflects the cost of providing service on tribal lands," emailed counsel Gregory Guice of Akin Gump, who also lauded Pai's work and lawmaker attention. "We do, however, agree with the Chairman that it is too bad that certain restrictions were placed on this change, particularly ones that penalize companies that have built out their networks, as those companies will incur more operating costs for that action."
Tribal telco representatives praised FCC targeted USF relief, but one voiced concern about a left-out carrier, and the others said further steps are needed. The agency Thursday voted, with Chairman Ajit Pai partially concurring and Democratic commissioners partially dissenting, for relaxed operating-expense restrictions on rate-of-return telcos primarily serving tribal lands, attaching broadband conditions to target the extra funding (see 1804050028). It's "significant for the providers and the communities they serve," emailed Patrick Halley, Wilkinson Barker counsel to Saddleback Communications, one of five carriers staff expects to be covered. "While more can certainly be done to address the Tribal broadband deployment gap, Chairman Pai and the Commission are to be commended for recognizing the higher costs incurred in maintaining and deploying broadband networks on Tribal lands," he said. "We are pleased the commission recognized the need of some of the tribes," said Randy Tyree of GRTyree Consulting, who represents the National Tribal Telecommunications Association and Mescalero Apache Telecom. "We're very concerned about Mescalero Apache not being able to receive relief just because they built out their broadband further than the others. Without this relief, Mescalero is certainly going to have to look at other alternatives" for funding. Mescalero wants "to remain constructive and see what" it can do with the agency, he added. Gila River Telecommunications, another carrier expected to receive relief, is pleased the FCC "has finally adopted this order that will ensure USF support better reflects the cost of providing service on tribal lands," emailed counsel Gregory Guice of Akin Gump, who also lauded Pai's work and lawmaker attention. "We do, however, agree with the Chairman that it is too bad that certain restrictions were placed on this change, particularly ones that penalize companies that have built out their networks, as those companies will incur more operating costs for that action."
The FCC gave a few tribal-oriented telcos additional USF support for operating costs it said were well above average. The two Democratic commissioners partially dissented and the agency's chief partially concurred, citing changes he made to win OK. The commission Thursday released as expected (see 1804040056) a modified, long-pending order to relax 2016 operating-expense (opex) restrictions on rate-of-return telco high-cost support for carriers primarily serving tribal land. Broadband deployment and competition conditions were added to target the relief to an estimated five providers.
Senate Communications Subcommittee member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and other members of the Hawaii congressional delegation during a Thursday field hearing touted a set of bills they say are aimed at addressing issues with the emergency alert system highlighted during a January false alarm about a possible ballistic missile headed for the state (see 1801160054 and 1803160042).
The FCC gave a few tribal-oriented telcos additional USF support for operating costs it said were well above average. The two Democratic commissioners partially dissented and the agency's chief partially concurred, citing changes he made to win OK. The commission Thursday released as expected (see 1804040056) a modified, long-pending order to relax 2016 operating-expense (opex) restrictions on rate-of-return telco high-cost support for carriers primarily serving tribal land. Broadband deployment and competition conditions were added to target the relief to an estimated five providers.