Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday he still hopes the bill he and Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are drafting to ease barriers to 5G and other broadband deployments will be “ready to drop before the end of the year,” though later than expected. Schatz and communications lobbyists anticipated introduction soon after Thanksgiving recess (see 1711240024). The senators circulated a draft in October (see 1710310057). It has since received criticism from local and municipal government stakeholders over language that would seek to pre-empt state, local and tribal laws seen as barriers to deployments. “We're getting closer” to the bill being ready for formal introduction, but it's “not likely” Senate Commerce will be able to mark it up this year, Thune said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday he still hopes the bill he and Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are drafting to ease barriers to 5G and other broadband deployments will be “ready to drop before the end of the year,” though later than expected. Schatz and communications lobbyists anticipated introduction soon after Thanksgiving recess (see 1711240024). The senators circulated a draft in October (see 1710310057). It has since received criticism from local and municipal government stakeholders over language that would seek to pre-empt state, local and tribal laws seen as barriers to deployments. “We're getting closer” to the bill being ready for formal introduction, but it's “not likely” Senate Commerce will be able to mark it up this year, Thune said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday he still hopes the bill he and Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are drafting to ease barriers to 5G and other broadband deployments will be “ready to drop before the end of the year,” though later than expected. Schatz and communications lobbyists anticipated introduction soon after Thanksgiving recess (see 1711240024). The senators circulated a draft in October (see 1710310057). It has since received criticism from local and municipal government stakeholders over language that would seek to pre-empt state, local and tribal laws seen as barriers to deployments. “We're getting closer” to the bill being ready for formal introduction, but it's “not likely” Senate Commerce will be able to mark it up this year, Thune said.

An Alaska tribal group asked the FCC to "fully fund" the USF Rural Health Care Program for funding year 2016 in the draft order and NPRM targeted for a vote at the Dec. 14 commissioners' meeting (see 1711220026). The commission draft proposed to "carry forward for use in FY 2017 any available RHC Program funds from prior funding years and, on a one-time-basis, commit those funds" to RHC participants for FY 2017, said a Tanana Chiefs Conference filing in docket 17-310. While applauding that proposal, the TCC said the draft doesn't "address the existing RHC Program funding shortfall" for FY 2016, which "caused a great deal of hardship" for rural healthcare providers and the people who depend on them. The group said the FCC should ensure that those providers "get all the funds to which they were entitled before" the agency implemented "pro rata funding."

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation doesn't see huge red flags raised by the FCC's proposed ACHP program comment about antenna collocation not needing National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 review, which could bring long-discussed collocation on twilight towers closer to reality. The agency's draft public notice (PN), on this month's meeting agenda (see 1711220026), "seems to be a reasonable first start," ACHP Office of Federal Agency Programs Director Reid Nelson told us. The FCC has a wide array of other broadband infrastructure deployment issues it could tee up next, experts said.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation doesn't see huge red flags raised by the FCC's proposed ACHP program comment about antenna collocation not needing National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 review, which could bring long-discussed collocation on twilight towers closer to reality. The agency's draft public notice (PN), on this month's meeting agenda (see 1711220026), "seems to be a reasonable first start," ACHP Office of Federal Agency Programs Director Reid Nelson told us. The FCC has a wide array of other broadband infrastructure deployment issues it could tee up next, experts said.

With 5G needing "substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," the FCC's newest member wants "more attention on this issue and potential solutions," including job training, he told a Labor Department workshop Tuesday on wireless apprenticeships and workforce development. Acknowledging "no direct regulatory role for the FCC," Commissioner Brendan Carr noted a "shortage of skilled workers that can deploy the small cells, distributed antenna systems, and other network facilities." The move to fifth-generation wireless networks "is going to require substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," an up to 100-fold increase in small cells and millions of miles of new fiber, said prepared remarks from Carr, leading a wireless infrastructure proceeding. "This transition could result in $275 billion in network investment." With federal, tribal, state and local laws "not tailored" for this, he cited FCC moves including a twilight tower public notice on the agenda for commissioners' Dec. 14 meeting (see 1711220026). Ericsson sees a billion 5G subscriptions globally for enhanced mobile broadband by 2023 (see 1711280034).

With 5G needing "substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," the FCC's newest member wants "more attention on this issue and potential solutions," including job training, he told a Labor Department workshop Tuesday on wireless apprenticeships and workforce development. Acknowledging "no direct regulatory role for the FCC," Commissioner Brendan Carr noted a "shortage of skilled workers that can deploy the small cells, distributed antenna systems, and other network facilities." The move to fifth-generation wireless networks "is going to require substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," an up to 100-fold increase in small cells and millions of miles of new fiber, said prepared remarks from Carr, leading a wireless infrastructure proceeding. "This transition could result in $275 billion in network investment." With federal, tribal, state and local laws "not tailored" for this, he cited FCC moves including a twilight tower public notice on the agenda for commissioners' Dec. 14 meeting (see 1711220026). Ericsson sees a billion 5G subscriptions globally for enhanced mobile broadband by 2023 (see 1711280034).

With 5G needing "substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," the FCC's newest member wants "more attention on this issue and potential solutions," including job training, he told a Labor Department workshop Tuesday on wireless apprenticeships and workforce development. Acknowledging "no direct regulatory role for the FCC," Commissioner Brendan Carr noted a "shortage of skilled workers that can deploy the small cells, distributed antenna systems, and other network facilities." The move to fifth-generation wireless networks "is going to require substantial and sustained infrastructure deployment," an up to 100-fold increase in small cells and millions of miles of new fiber, said prepared remarks from Carr, leading a wireless infrastructure proceeding. "This transition could result in $275 billion in network investment." With federal, tribal, state and local laws "not tailored" for this, he cited FCC moves including a twilight tower public notice on the agenda for commissioners' Dec. 14 meeting (see 1711220026). Ericsson sees a billion 5G subscriptions globally for enhanced mobile broadband by 2023 (see 1711280034).

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, intend to file their bill aimed at easing barriers to 5G and other broadband deployments soon after the Thanksgiving recess, Schatz confirmed to us. A post-Thanksgiving filing of the legislation was widely anticipated because Senate Commerce staff have been collecting feedback on the bill for weeks, several communications sector lobbyists said. Thune and Schatz circulated a draft of the bill in October (see 1710310057).