The tribal window to apply for 2.5 GHz licenses was a big topic last month at a conference the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) hosted at Arizona State University with the National Tribal Telecommunications Association and Gila River Telecommunications, AIPI filed, posted Wednesday in FCC docket 18-120. AIP said tribes are grateful for the opportunity to get free spectrum licenses, but the 2.5 GHz band won’t solve the digital divide in their areas. Attendees opposed “adoption of a rural Tribal Lands definition, which excludes Tribal lands that are not located in an urbanized area with a population of less than 50,000 people,” AIPI said: “This decision abrogates the Commission’s federal trust responsibility to all Tribal Nations -- which applies regardless of population density -- in that it arbitrarily and disproportionately affects Tribal Nations and their respective citizens and communities.” All future spectrum opportunities “should be acted upon consistent with the trust responsibility the Commission has with all Tribal Nations,” the institute said. The 2.5 GHz band is also limited, the filing said: “A Tribal Priority should be analyzed for extension to all commercial licenses, given the communications challenges facing Tribal Nations.” The FCC’s six-month window opens Feb. 3 (see 2001140059).

The 5G Spectrum Act, even if it doesn't become law, could benchmark how satellite communications incumbents get compensated for clearing part of the C band, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly told reporters Tuesday in a wide-ranging interview. S-2881 "does have weight," especially as there seemingly has been a general shift from Capitol Hill resistance to any incentives, said. If satcom incumbents receive a percentage of the $40 billion in auction proceeds, as the legislation says (see 2001090021), debate will likely center on between 30 and 50 percent, though compensation could be a hard number for incumbents, or a combination of percentage and hard number, he said.

Two telcos didn't meet all deployment requirements for having gotten USF money from the federal government, they reported Thursday. That drew concern from some state officials.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands asked for a waiver of entity eligibility rules to apply for 2.5 GHz licenses during the upcoming tribal window (see 2001140059). “While the Commission expressly included Hawaiian Home Lands within the definition of tribal lands eligible for the Tribal Window, the Report & Order omitted native Hawaiians from the list of eligible applicants for the window, and therefore excluded them from the opportunity to access this spectrum,” the department said in FCC docket 18-120, posted Wednesday. National Tribal Telecommunications Association members met with the FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy about the band. “NTTA representatives inquired about the timing of licensure for the 2.5 GHz spectrum offering and the need for education for Tribal entities on this issue, and the need for a new category of Tribal broadband carriers for the provision of Universal Service Fund support,” the group said.

The California Public Utilities Commission wants the FCC to not proceed with its phase one Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction until it has better broadband mapping data, it told an adviser to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, posted Tuesday in docket 19-126. The CPUC said working with tribal entities to recruit providers for RDOF requires substantial lead time, asking again that "the FCC not begin the RDOF Phase I auction this year." California is one of 48 states eligible for such participation. New York and Alaska have conflicts with "previously established programs to fund rural broadband in those states," the FCC said Tuesday, and are ineligible. The agency estimates 6 million homes and businesses could benefit from phase one. States with the most bid eligible locations are California, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Those with the least are Connecticut, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Jersey. Commissioners vote on the rules Jan. 30 (see 2001080049).

The California Public Utilities Commission wants the FCC to not proceed with its phase one Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction until it has better broadband mapping data, it told an adviser to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, posted Tuesday in docket 19-126. The CPUC said working with tribal entities to recruit providers for RDOF requires substantial lead time, asking again that "the FCC not begin the RDOF Phase I auction this year." California is one of 48 states eligible for such participation. New York and Alaska have conflicts with "previously established programs to fund rural broadband in those states," the FCC said Tuesday, and are ineligible. The agency estimates 6 million homes and businesses could benefit from phase one. States with the most bid eligible locations are California, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Those with the least are Connecticut, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Jersey. Commissioners vote on the rules Jan. 30 (see 2001080049).

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai urged tribes to pursue 2.5 GHz licenses when a six-month tribal opportunity opens Feb. 3. Tribal officials told us the level of attendance at the Tuesday workshop where Pai spoke shows they're interested. In July, the agency revised rules over partial dissents of Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks. The FCC gave only the tribes a shot at seeking licenses before auction.

A majority of members of the current iteration of the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council come from the private sector because “qualified individuals who are nominated” to the group “may often be employed in the private sector because of the complex technical matters that CSRIC is asked to address,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. The letters dated Jan. 3 were released Friday. Warren and Jayapal in June questioned “the extent to which” CSRIC “may be inappropriately dominated by industry insiders” given 13 of the current CSRIC iteration’s 22 members are from the private sector (see 1907010029). Two CSRIC members are associated with a communications sector trade group, six are from federal agencies and one is from a civil society group. CSRIC was rechartered in early 2019 for its seventh two-year iteration (see 1904160061). The agency “considers [CSRIC] nominees based on criteria for implementing the Federal Advisory Committee Act -- namely, whether the entities represented by the nominees would be directly affected by the matters likely to be addressed by the CSRIC and whether the nominees are qualified and have relevant experience,” Pai said. “The complex topics” before the current panel “affect industry segments … in different ways. Consequently, CSRIC members employed in the private sector often have differing interests and perspectives.” There's “rarely, if ever, a uniform ‘private sector’ position on the issues that come before the CSRIC,” he said. “The FCC considers these differing points of view from various industry sectors when balancing the expertise and viewpoints of the CSRIC membership.” The commission “further balances and includes diverse points of view through the inclusion of state, local, federal, and Tribal governmental entities; public safety organizations; and consumer and community organizations,” Pai said. “To promote diversity in its membership, the FCC also strives to select members from different areas of the country, with differing expertise, and representing organizations of different sizes.”

A majority of members of the current iteration of the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council come from the private sector because “qualified individuals who are nominated” to the group “may often be employed in the private sector because of the complex technical matters that CSRIC is asked to address,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. The letters dated Jan. 3 were released Friday. Warren and Jayapal in June questioned “the extent to which” CSRIC “may be inappropriately dominated by industry insiders” given 13 of the current CSRIC iteration’s 22 members are from the private sector (see 1907010029). Two CSRIC members are associated with a communications sector trade group, six are from federal agencies and one is from a civil society group. CSRIC was rechartered in early 2019 for its seventh two-year iteration (see 1904160061). The agency “considers [CSRIC] nominees based on criteria for implementing the Federal Advisory Committee Act -- namely, whether the entities represented by the nominees would be directly affected by the matters likely to be addressed by the CSRIC and whether the nominees are qualified and have relevant experience,” Pai said. “The complex topics” before the current panel “affect industry segments … in different ways. Consequently, CSRIC members employed in the private sector often have differing interests and perspectives.” There's “rarely, if ever, a uniform ‘private sector’ position on the issues that come before the CSRIC,” he said. “The FCC considers these differing points of view from various industry sectors when balancing the expertise and viewpoints of the CSRIC membership.” The commission “further balances and includes diverse points of view through the inclusion of state, local, federal, and Tribal governmental entities; public safety organizations; and consumer and community organizations,” Pai said. “To promote diversity in its membership, the FCC also strives to select members from different areas of the country, with differing expertise, and representing organizations of different sizes.”

The FCC plans to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency broadband networks in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, said a draft rulemaking for docket 19-126 released Thursday. RDOF is one of several items that circulated from Chairman Ajit Pai. So far, it's shaping up to be the most watched item, and legislators expressed some related concerns.