Local government officials are trying to be heard as FCC Chairman Ajit Pai seeks to end barriers to broadband deployment. With the FCC moving at a “dizzying pace,” local governments feel they must grab on or risk getting left behind, said Andy Huckaba, a Republican city council member in Lenexa, Kansas, and one of three local officials on the 30-member Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. The full members and another four local officials are on BDAC working groups with several dozens of others. In interviews, local and state officials raised concerns about what BDAC membership says about FCC willingness to listen to governments, but some said they feel included.
The House Communications Subcommittee's Thursday hearing on 5G is aimed mainly at educating members on potential benefits of and barriers to 5G deployments, but it also could feature debate about related proposals to pre-empt state, local and tribal siting rules and exempt projects from some existing review requirements, lawmakers, House aides and lobbyists told us. Senate Commerce is evaluating the Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988) and a draft bill from committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, both geared toward easing siting requirements (see 1710200047 and 1710310057). The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
A draft FCC order on changes to rules for wireless infrastructure, slated for a vote by commissioners Thursday (see 1710260038), appears headed to a 5-0 vote, though parts were still in flux Wednesday, officials said. The biggest likely change is the elimination of the “same hole” requirement, which would have mandated that to get relief from historic preservation review requirements, a new utility pole had to be placed in the same hole as a pole it was replacing, officials said. Wireless facilities are commonly attached to utility poles.
The House Communications Subcommittee's Thursday hearing on 5G is aimed mainly at educating members on potential benefits of and barriers to 5G deployments, but it also could feature debate about related proposals to pre-empt state, local and tribal siting rules and exempt projects from some existing review requirements, lawmakers, House aides and lobbyists told us. Senate Commerce is evaluating the Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988) and a draft bill from committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, both geared toward easing siting requirements (see 1710200047 and 1710310057). The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
The House Communications Subcommittee's Thursday hearing on 5G is aimed mainly at educating members on potential benefits of and barriers to 5G deployments, but it also could feature debate about related proposals to pre-empt state, local and tribal siting rules and exempt projects from some existing review requirements, lawmakers, House aides and lobbyists told us. Senate Commerce is evaluating the Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988) and a draft bill from committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, both geared toward easing siting requirements (see 1710200047 and 1710310057). The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears unlikely to change course on a Lifeline draft before commissioners meet Thursday, observers told us, with several expecting a 3-2 vote along party lines. Critics sounded the alarm on a draft Lifeline item on the agenda, warning of "an attack" on the low-income broadband and voice subsidy program. The draft orders and notices "would kill wireless service for most tribal lands in the U.S. immediately and then for millions of other Americans in the following months," said Consumer Action, National Grange and a tribal advocate.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears unlikely to change course on a Lifeline draft before commissioners meet Thursday, observers told us, with several expecting a 3-2 vote along party lines. Critics sounded the alarm on a draft Lifeline item on the agenda, warning of "an attack" on the low-income broadband and voice subsidy program. The draft orders and notices "would kill wireless service for most tribal lands in the U.S. immediately and then for millions of other Americans in the following months," said Consumer Action, National Grange and a tribal advocate.
CES will have a few firsts in Las Vegas in January, including new exhibit space for artificial intelligence, a high-tech retail conference and exhibit area, and a design and source marketplace and conference program, said CEO Gary Shapiro at a CES Unveiled news conference in New York Thursday. Also new is expansion to the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino for the Monday night keynote by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, to be in the Park Theater, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m., said Karen Chupka, CTA senior vice president-CES and corporate business strategy. The “booming” sports technology industry will have its own zone for the first time in the Sands Convention Center near Hall D, reflecting growth in an industry projected to reach $76 billion by 2020, Chupka said. What was once a market associated with fitness trackers, heart rate monitors and other wearables, has morphed into a larger category involving smart products that enhance athletic performance, fan engagement, and the business of sports, Chupka said. That includes smart arenas, e-sports and e-leagues and a changing role of sponsorships, she said. The sports fan experience will evolve, becoming more immersive through artificial and virtual reality technologies that will be shown at CES, she said. Turner Sports is sponsoring the sports zone, and CES also is partnering with market research company Sports Innovation Lab. The zone will include exhibits, demos e-leagues and two conference tracks -- one targeting sports innovation and the other sports technology, Chupka said. The 2018 CES celebrity ambassador is former NBA player Baron Davis, she announced. Responding to a question on possible security procedure changes at CES hotels, after last month’s mass shooting at a concert outside the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Chupka said the Las Vegas community is studying whether there are other measures organizers can take, but Las Vegas already has security measures in place such as cameras in the casinos. “Quite frankly, they have a lot of things in place,” she said of Las Vegas, including one of only a few fusion centers in the country, described by the Department of Homeland Security as state and major urban area focal points for the receipt, analysis, gathering and sharing of threat-related information among federal, state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners.
Sprint backed changes in the “historic review process, including tribal historic review,” as the FCC takes up wireless infrastructure rules, in meetings with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mike O‘Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel. “Costs for Section 106 review have increased dramatically in recent years and constitute a substantial barrier to the deployment of small cells that are essential to provide more coverage and capacity to America’s mobile broadband consumers,” Sprint said in docket 17-79. “Reducing the burden of review fees can be accomplished in several ways, including exempting sites in public rights of way and by limiting fees to actual consultation on identified historic properties rather than upfront across-the-board fees. Equally important, Sprint urged the FCC to address the delays caused by the failure of certain tribes to complete the review process."
Stakeholders objected to proposed FCC Lifeline actions in a draft item on the agenda for next Thursday's commissioners' meeting, with many against a possible move to eliminate low-income funding support for resellers. Wireless industry parties, civil rights advocates, tribal groups and others voiced concerns about the combined draft orders and notices, in meetings and filings posted Wednesday and Thursday in docket 11-42.