The FCC is watching the 2.5 GHz tribal window for license applications with an eye on extending it past an Aug. 3 end, Chairman Ajit Pai told senators who raised questions. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel repeatedly urged keeping the window open because of the pandemic (see 2004290055). The window opened Feb. 3. “We are sensitive to the interests of both current applicants and potential ones, particularly given the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pai wrote in letters posted Tuesday. “We continue to monitor the situation as much of the country, including many Tribal Nations, reopens for business, and have yet to make a decision on whether to extend the window. ... Commission staff stand ready to provide assistance to any Tribes seeking to avail themselves of this opportunity.”

The House began considering amendments to the Democrats’ Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2) Tuesday, including 10 on broadband. The underlying measure contains $100 billion in broadband funding, with $9 billion for a Broadband Connectivity Fund to give eligible households an “additional broadband benefit” and $5 billion for E-rate. It also includes $12 billion for next-generation 911 (see 2006180062). House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina and other Democrats pushed for the measure's adoption. Republicans argued it's a purely partisan measure that has no chance of making it through the Senate or getting support from President Donald Trump.

NTIA's Minority Broadband Initiative plans a July 15 webinar about cyberinfrastructure at historically Black and tribal colleges and universities, it said Monday. In earlier outreach, the "schools’ leaders identified an ongoing need for targeted federal funding for broadband access, digital literacy training, and continued close engagement with government at all levels to expand the relationship with the HBCU community and ensure the distinct needs of their institutions are well understood by decision makers," NTIA said.

NTIA's Minority Broadband Initiative plans a July 15 webinar about cyberinfrastructure at historically Black and tribal colleges and universities, it said Monday. In earlier outreach, the "schools’ leaders identified an ongoing need for targeted federal funding for broadband access, digital literacy training, and continued close engagement with government at all levels to expand the relationship with the HBCU community and ensure the distinct needs of their institutions are well understood by decision makers," NTIA said.

House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden of Oregon and other Republicans introduced a legislative package Thursday containing the language from 26 existing and new bills aimed at streamlining broadband deployments. It follows House Democrats’ proposal (see 2006220054) for $100 billion in broadband funding, contained in both the Moving Forward Act infrastructure legislative package (HR-2) and the stand-alone Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act (HR-7302). Walden and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released a COVID-19 broadband legislative framework last week (see 2006190062). President Donald Trump’s administration said in an NTIA-led American Broadband Initiative progress report it made progress in increasing rural broadband access.

The FCC will consider rules for the vertical location accuracy of wireless calls to 911 and broadband mapping at commissioners’ July 16 meeting, as expected; see here. Also on the tentative agenda, an order addressing supply chain security and equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., pressed the FCC Friday for “additional transparency” in the $200 million COVID-19 telehealth program. The FCC said Wednesday it has approved $104.98 million (see 2006100046). “While the FCC has posted weekly updates of funding awards, we are troubled by the lack of transparency regarding the health care providers who have applied but have not yet received an award,” Pallone and Doyle wrote Chairman Ajit Pai. “We have heard reports that many health care providers are facing issues obtaining funds, particularly those serving tribal lands. Similarly, health care providers report they have been unable to receive funding for some important telehealth equipment.” Pallone and Doyle want by June 19 a weekly updated “docket that includes all the applications the Commission has received” plus which applications have been approved and when funding is disbursed. They seek “a summary of any uses or devices that were not approved.” The agency “has been administering this program in a transparent manner,” a spokesperson emailed. “We have been providing weekly announcements of all of the funding applications that have been approved along with the details of those approved telehealth projects provided by the applicants.” The FCC’s “website contains a list of all of the approved applications sorted by state,” the spokesperson said. “Our focus has been and must continue to be on processing all of the applications quickly and carefully, an effort that could be undercut if we turn our attention to creating a new system for posting pending applications.”

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., pressed the FCC Friday for “additional transparency” in the $200 million COVID-19 telehealth program. The FCC said Wednesday it has approved $104.98 million (see 2006100046). “While the FCC has posted weekly updates of funding awards, we are troubled by the lack of transparency regarding the health care providers who have applied but have not yet received an award,” Pallone and Doyle wrote Chairman Ajit Pai. “We have heard reports that many health care providers are facing issues obtaining funds, particularly those serving tribal lands. Similarly, health care providers report they have been unable to receive funding for some important telehealth equipment.” Pallone and Doyle want by June 19 a weekly updated “docket that includes all the applications the Commission has received” plus which applications have been approved and when funding is disbursed. They seek “a summary of any uses or devices that were not approved.” The agency “has been administering this program in a transparent manner,” a spokesperson emailed. “We have been providing weekly announcements of all of the funding applications that have been approved along with the details of those approved telehealth projects provided by the applicants.” The FCC’s “website contains a list of all of the approved applications sorted by state,” the spokesperson said. “Our focus has been and must continue to be on processing all of the applications quickly and carefully, an effort that could be undercut if we turn our attention to creating a new system for posting pending applications.”

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., pressed the FCC Friday for “additional transparency” in the $200 million COVID-19 telehealth program. The FCC said Wednesday it has approved $104.98 million (see 2006100046). “While the FCC has posted weekly updates of funding awards, we are troubled by the lack of transparency regarding the health care providers who have applied but have not yet received an award,” Pallone and Doyle wrote Chairman Ajit Pai. “We have heard reports that many health care providers are facing issues obtaining funds, particularly those serving tribal lands. Similarly, health care providers report they have been unable to receive funding for some important telehealth equipment.” Pallone and Doyle want by June 19 a weekly updated “docket that includes all the applications the Commission has received” plus which applications have been approved and when funding is disbursed. They seek “a summary of any uses or devices that were not approved.” The agency “has been administering this program in a transparent manner,” a spokesperson emailed. “We have been providing weekly announcements of all of the funding applications that have been approved along with the details of those approved telehealth projects provided by the applicants.” The FCC’s “website contains a list of all of the approved applications sorted by state,” the spokesperson said. “Our focus has been and must continue to be on processing all of the applications quickly and carefully, an effort that could be undercut if we turn our attention to creating a new system for posting pending applications.”

Now that the comment cycle is complete, move on proposals to allow TV white spaces (TVWS) devices to operate with higher power in less-congested areas, Microsoft and other commenters asked the FCC. Others continue to raise concerns (see 2005050033). Replies were posted through Wednesday in docket 20-36 on an NPRM that commissioners approved 5-0 in February (see 2002280055). Make the changes discussed in the NPRM but address other changes in future items, Microsoft replied. There's broad support for TVWS changes from service providers, tech companies, businesses and schools in rural areas and public interest organizations, the company said: “The record also demonstrates that the proposed rule changes will accelerate the pace of TVWS deployments and significantly improve the ability of TVWS technology to narrow the digital divide.” There's broad agreement “more robust rules” here “would improve connectivity in rural, tribal, and other unserved and underserved areas,” the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition said. New America’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, Consumer Reports, Access Humboldt, Next Century Cities, Common Cause, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and Benton Institute for Broadband and Society were among those on the filing. “Limit this proceeding to the narrow set of proposals set forth in the NPRM” and don't “consider extraneous requests that would dramatically expand those proposals or effectively rewrite Part 15 of the Commission’s rules,” NAB said. Some would expand the proceeding to consider “areas that have already been fully debated and where there have been no new developments that would warrant changes,” the group said. The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council endorsed the changes in general for rural areas, seeking companion tweaks for private land mobile radio operations on TV channels 14-20. NPSTC is “simply seeking to maintain an equivalent level of protection to that offered today,” the group said: “The proposed doubling of the allowed TVWS antenna height will have a significant effect on the separation distance needed to maintain an equivalent level of protection” to public land mobile radio operations. Wireless mic makers kept up their concerns. “Refine the movable platforms proposal by narrowing the scope of eligible vehicles and accounting for antenna height and directionality in the design of the rules,” Shure said: “Retain the less congested areas framework while rejecting impractical/computationally intensive alternative proposals centered around population density and/or terrain-based modeling.”