The FCC Media Bureau chose The Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation as the tentative selectee for a noncommercial educational FM construction permit for Little Browning, Montana, using rules that prioritize tribal applications, said an order Wednesday. The tribe’s application was mutually exclusive with an application from Holy Spirit Radio proposing a station at Conrad, Montana. Both applications were filed during the November NCE window. The Blackfeet application qualified for the tribal priority in part because the station would be the first local tribally owned NCE station in the area and because Little Browning is on Blackfeet tribal land, the order said. Petitions to deny the selection are due 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register.

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance urged revisions to a Land Mobile Communications Council petition asking the FCC to modify its Part 90 rules on sharing of TV channels 14-20 with the T-band to reflect the changes that have occurred due to the DTV transition (see 2202100041), in reply comments. EWA supports “proposals to provide incentives for licensees to partition, disaggregate, and/or lease unused spectrum to small carriers, rural carriers, and Tribal Nations,” the group said in a Wednesday news release. “Incentives could include license term and construction extensions as well as alternate benchmarks for rural-focused transactions,” the group said: “EWA also urged the FCC to adopt a different standard for private enterprise entities as these companies are responsible for most of the economic activity in the nation. They rely on private wireless networks that may be in areas or have restrictions that make commercial service not a viable option.”

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address spurred reaction from Democrats and Republicans looking to move comprehensive privacy and child privacy bills. Biden announced a sweeping agenda to address a social media-linked children's mental health “crisis” during his Tuesday speech, as expected (see 2203010072). “Protecting kids online starts by establishing a national privacy and data security framework and enacting legislation that stops Big Tech’s harmful abuse of power,” said House Commerce Committee ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. Biden issued a “powerful call to action on the youth mental health crisis exacerbated by social media, which can be addressed by the Kids Online Safety Act, Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said of his bipartisan bill with ranking member Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. The president offered Congress a “blueprint,” and now it’s time to act, said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass. Biden “clearly expressed what we know to be true: it’s time to prevent the abusive collection and retention of personal information online,” said Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., in favor of their Democratic privacy proposal (see 2111180048). “If companies can’t collect data, they can’t use that data to manipulate Americans for profit.” Biden urged Congress to swiftly send him a compromise bill marrying elements of the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act (HR-4521) and Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260), which both include $52 billion in subsidies to encourage U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturing (see 2201260062). The House passed HR-4521 last month, but there has been no formal compromise between that measure and S-1260 (see 2202250054). “Let’s not wait any longer,” Biden said. “We used to invest 2% of our GDP in research and development. We don’t now. China is.” Biden praised Intel’s plan to build two new chip factories in Ohio, costing $20 billion (see 2201210027), as “the biggest investment in manufacturing in American history, and all they’re waiting for is for you to pass a HR-4521/S-1260 compromise. Biden also, as expected, touted the $65 billion in broadband money included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a way to provide "affordable high-speed internet for every American -- urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities." Biden's broadband shutout was praised by Mignon Clyburn, co-chair of the Incompas-backed BroadLand campaign. "By taking an all of the above approach to deployment, we can build new future proof networks that benefit all Americans, urban and rural, who need access to low-cost internet solutions," she said. Free State Foundation Senior Fellow Andrew Long said Biden and Congress haven't "paid much attention -- big picture -- to how the various appropriations, agencies, and programs relating to the construction of broadband infrastructure will interoperate in a manner that uses precious taxpayer dollars wisely and efficiently. This must change."

NTIA awarded an additional $1 million in tribal broadband connectivity program grants Monday, totaling more than $4.8 million to date, said a news release (see 2112230033). The Pinoleville Pomo Nation in California received nearly $500,000, and the Ketchikan Indian Community of Alaska received $500,000, for broadband use and adoption projects. The awards are "another milestone in our journey to close the digital divide and provide these communities with the resources they need to thrive in the 21st century," said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson.

The FCC plans a 2.5 GHz auction starting in July, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told the Mobile World Congress Tuesday. The FCC has been under pressure to announce a start date, with its auction authority expiring Sept. 30 (see 2202110056). Rosenworcel also told the conference the FCC will issue a notice of inquiry on receiver performance and standards (see 2202180054) in April. Speakers at the Barcelona event said 6 GHz is emerging as a key band for 5G and Wi-Fi globally.

NTIA is "really focused on adoption" throughout all of its broadband programs, said Administrator Alan Davidson during Monday’s State of the Net Conference. “We’ve been given resources to do things that we’ve never had the chance to do,” Davidson said, pointing to closing the digital divide, spectrum policy and other ongoing NTIA initiatives. NTIA and FCC coordination on spectrum is "key," Davidson said. It's "important" for NTIA to "be thinking about this broad range of competitiveness for the U.S."

Tribes and local governments are key to closing the digital divide, California Public Utilities Commission members said at a livestreamed meeting Thursday. The CPUC voted 5-0 to adopt a plan to set up a $50 million grant program to provide California Advanced Services Fund technical assistance to local agencies and tribal governments (see 2201240019). Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered the assistance program as part of California’s $6 billion broadband law last year. "The importance of local development and local ownership of broadband networks and closing the digital divide cannot be overstated,” said Commissioner Darcie Houck. "This decision will help support the crucial role of public actors to step in and bring this essential service to all Californians. Local networks will also bring much-needed competition to internet service markets." The decision recognizes the “vital role” of localities in expanding services, said CPUC President Alice Reynolds. "My hope is that this grant program will jump-start a new generation of public networks in this state, networks not guided by profit but by providing the highest quality service to their communities.” Wednesday, CPUC Administrative Law Judge Robert Haga denied USTelecom’s motion to become a party in the commission’s inmate calling services proceeding. “The motion does not fully disclose the person or entities making the motion,” and USTelecom failed to state “the factual or legal contentions it intends to make and show that the contentions will be reasonably pertinent to the issues already presented,” Haga wrote in docket R.20-10-002: “USTelecom may seek party status in the future through a motion that complies with our rules.” The association didn’t comment Thursday.

A U.S. Forest Service proposal to charge communications facilities on National Forest System (NFS) lands an annual administrative fee could be an existential threat to smaller broadcasters but is seen by wireless groups as a route to faster approvals, according to interviews. The deadline for comments is Tuesday, but docket 2021-27681 already listed 591 submissions Friday. “I get that they have to cover the administrative costs of what they do, but some of these stations have been there for 30 years,” said National Translator Association President Jack Mills.

NTIA wants comments by April 18 on its proposed information collection for the tribal broadband connectivity program, said a notice for Thursday's Federal Register. Comments may be sent to broadbandusa@ntia.gov, with "TBCP Data Collection" in the subject line.

State utility commissioners should get active in broadband funding talks, said NTIA and U.S. Treasury officials at the partially virtual NARUC conference Monday. Each state is to receive at least $200 million combined through Treasury’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund and NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. State commissioners may no longer say broadband is “not my jurisdiction,” said former FCC and South Carolina Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: “I’m sorry, you can’t rest on that anymore.”