FCC staff retroactively extended 2016-18 deadlines for construction, drive testing and reporting requirements tied to final disbursements of Mobility Fund Phase I or Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I support for licenses held by Appalachian Wireless, UScellular, GCI and Union Telephone. “While today’s petitioners were not free from certain predictable causes of delay, each petitioner faced other, unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances beyond its control that prevented the timely completion of its performance requirements,” said Wednesday's Wireline and Wireless bureaus and Office of Economics and Analytics order.
Regulators cleared three items circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai last week -- opening the 12 GHz band to 5G, proposing bidding procedures for a 2.5 GHz auction and unveiling the first round of selections for the agency's Connected Care pilot program (see 2101060061). Pai, who leaves next week, effectively forced a vote.
The North American Numbering Council should establish a working group to "pinpoint the operational hurdles" that may arise with providing location information stemming from a 988 suicide hotline call, NTCA told the FCC Wireline Bureau Monday in docket 18-336 (see 2010190058). NTCA said routing calls to a local crisis center would let callers access local resources and allow mobilization of emergency services. "Ensuring that accurate location information is conveyed with a 988 call, and that such calls are routed properly to the appropriate local crisis center, will involve multiple stakeholders and technological hurdles," NTCA wrote, citing potential issues in remote areas in Alaska and on tribal lands. The group also raised privacy concerns. NANC meets Feb. 4 (see 2012310029).
The North American Numbering Council should establish a working group to "pinpoint the operational hurdles" that may arise with providing location information stemming from a 988 suicide hotline call, NTCA told the FCC Wireline Bureau Monday in docket 18-336 (see 2010190058). NTCA said routing calls to a local crisis center would let callers access local resources and allow mobilization of emergency services. "Ensuring that accurate location information is conveyed with a 988 call, and that such calls are routed properly to the appropriate local crisis center, will involve multiple stakeholders and technological hurdles," NTCA wrote, citing potential issues in remote areas in Alaska and on tribal lands. The group also raised privacy concerns. NANC meets Feb. 4 (see 2012310029).
The FCC will disburse $3.2 billion in emergency broadband assistance as the pandemic has boosted broadband demand and usage (see 2012220061). How the money will be spent and whether it will reach the hardest-hit communities remain uncertain, said experts in interviews this month. Some telecom stakeholders are optimistic, however.
The FCC seeks comment on how to best distribute a $3.2 billion emergency broadband connectivity fund (see 2012210055), said a Wireline Bureau public notice Monday. Comments are due Jan. 25, replies Feb. 16, in docket 20-445. The funds are part of Congress' latest COVID-19 relief bill. Providers seeking to participate must be designated as eligible telecom carriers or approved by the commission. Eligible households will receive a discount of up to $50 monthly, those on tribal lands up to $75. "Our staff is moving quickly to stand up this program so we can quickly direct funding to consumers who need the help," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said: "We need to find ways to get 100% of us connected in this country and this program is an essential part of making that happen.”
The FCC seeks comment on how to best distribute a $3.2 billion emergency broadband connectivity fund (see 2012210055), said a Wireline Bureau public notice Monday. Comments are due Jan. 25, replies Feb. 16, in docket 20-445. The funds are part of Congress' latest COVID-19 relief bill. Providers seeking to participate must be designated as eligible telecom carriers or approved by the commission. Eligible households will receive a discount of up to $50 monthly, those on tribal lands up to $75. "Our staff is moving quickly to stand up this program so we can quickly direct funding to consumers who need the help," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said: "We need to find ways to get 100% of us connected in this country and this program is an essential part of making that happen.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau granted 22 additional tribal applications in 10 states for licenses to use the 2.5 GHz band. The tribal window to apply for licenses closed Sept. 2 with more than 400 applications (see 2009030012). “Far too many Tribal communities are on the wrong side of the digital divide, and this Rural Tribal Priority Window is making a real difference in helping to bring digital opportunity to these communities,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue export restrictions for an amended list of personal protective equipment, FEMA said in a temporary final rule released Dec. 30. The rule, which now also includes syringes and hypodermic needles that deliver vaccines, expands on two previous versions issued by FEMA this year (see 2008060061 and 2004080018) and renews the export restrictions -- which were scheduled to expire Dec. 31 -- through June 30, 2021.
CTIA and groups representing small carriers sought reconsideration of the FCC’s October 5G Fund order, approved over partial dissents by Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks (see 2010270034). Recon petitions were posted Tuesday in docket 20-32. CTIA asked the FCC to revise the noncompliance penalty to limit potential recovery of prior funding to the support an eligible telecom carrier failed to spend in compliance with fund requirements. “The Order imposes an unreasonable and unprecedented penalty … on mobile wireless ETCs that do not meet the newly-adopted deployment requirements, or that voluntarily relinquish future support -- even if the ETC’s actual spending complied” with the order's minimum 5G spending requirements, CTIA said: The penalties are “unreasonable and inconsistent with permissible spending rules." The Rural Wireless Association and NTCA jointly asked the FCC to rethink whether funds should be available for areas served by unsubsidized 4G networks. “That an unsubsidized 4G LTE network may be deployed in a particular area provides no guarantee or even reasonable assurance that 5G service meeting the required performance metrics will be deployed there, nor is there any basis for concluding that the deployment of 5G service to such an area is likely to occur,” the groups said: “History consistently instructs that rural areas are almost never served with the latest generation of service unless and until a small rural carrier based in that area begins to provide such service.” Smith Bagley asked the FCC to rethink a decision not to mandate special-case treatment for remote tribal lands. “The Commission denied special case treatment … without considering the substantial evidence placed into the record over many years demonstrating dire demographic and economic conditions” there, the carrier said: “The Commission has no factual basis for its view that conditions in Alaska are so unique that special treatment such as an ‘Alaska Plan’ is not warranted elsewhere.”