The Senate Indian Affairs Committee set a July 17 hearing on the findings in a 2018 GAO study on tribal spectrum access. The report, sought by the committee, said the FCC needs to improve outreach to tribal governments to improve those entities' access to spectrum (see 1811140069). The hearing will begin at 2:30 p.m. in 628 Dirksen, Indian Affairs said.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr told us he's ready to refer nonprofit educational broadband services to the Enforcement Bureau, based on letters he's sending to various institutions. Carr said any proceeds from the sale of licenses by nonprofits found to violate the rules could be used to pay for education. Commissioners will vote Wednesday on an order reallocating the 2.5 GHz to an auction.

The FCC canceled a tribal workshop scheduled for July 17 at the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan (see 1906210019), it said Wednesday. It didn't give a reason for the cancellation.

The FCC canceled a tribal workshop scheduled for July 17 at the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan (see 1906210019), it said Wednesday. It didn't give a reason for the cancellation.

2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., questioned “the extent to which” the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council “may be inappropriately dominated by industry insiders.” CSRIC was rechartered in early 2019 for its seventh two-year iteration (see 1904160061). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and House Commerce Committee leaders urge the FCC to expand the scope of CSRIC VII to include 5G security (see 1905100010). Warren and Jayapal cited a Project on Government Oversight report that 13 of CSRIC VII’s 22 members are from the private sector, two are associated with a communications sector trade group, six are from federal agencies and one is from a civil society group. “Having the FCC’s policy-making process rely on input from individuals employed by, or affiliated with, the corporations that it is tasked with overseeing is the very definition of regulatory capture,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Thursday in a letter released Monday. They suggested the membership imbalance “may not be consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s requirement that such panels be “fairly balanced in terms of points of view.” It’s “imperative that CSRIC membership be comprised of individuals with a diverse range of backgrounds and viewpoints, and include equal representation” from different groups of stakeholders, the lawmakers said. “The FCC should be working on behalf of American consumers, not giant telecommunications companies.” Warren and Jayapal sought a response by July 12 on how the current membership composition meets the panel’s charter requirements and FACA rules. They want an explanation of how the FCC selects members for CSRIC and “information on the number of individuals from tribal governments or tribal organizations” who have served on CSRIC since its predecessor, the Network Reliability Council, first formed in 1992. The FCC didn’t comment.

2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., questioned “the extent to which” the FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council “may be inappropriately dominated by industry insiders.” CSRIC was rechartered in early 2019 for its seventh two-year iteration (see 1904160061). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and House Commerce Committee leaders urge the FCC to expand the scope of CSRIC VII to include 5G security (see 1905100010). Warren and Jayapal cited a Project on Government Oversight report that 13 of CSRIC VII’s 22 members are from the private sector, two are associated with a communications sector trade group, six are from federal agencies and one is from a civil society group. “Having the FCC’s policy-making process rely on input from individuals employed by, or affiliated with, the corporations that it is tasked with overseeing is the very definition of regulatory capture,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Thursday in a letter released Monday. They suggested the membership imbalance “may not be consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s requirement that such panels be “fairly balanced in terms of points of view.” It’s “imperative that CSRIC membership be comprised of individuals with a diverse range of backgrounds and viewpoints, and include equal representation” from different groups of stakeholders, the lawmakers said. “The FCC should be working on behalf of American consumers, not giant telecommunications companies.” Warren and Jayapal sought a response by July 12 on how the current membership composition meets the panel’s charter requirements and FACA rules. They want an explanation of how the FCC selects members for CSRIC and “information on the number of individuals from tribal governments or tribal organizations” who have served on CSRIC since its predecessor, the Network Reliability Council, first formed in 1992. The FCC didn’t comment.

FirstNet is starting to lay out a road map for the for the future of its network, and is listening closely to advice from first responders, the board was told at its quarterly meeting Wednesday. Staff described the map as a key document to win more public safety participation in the nascent network. Officials said the network must keep up with advances from 5G.

The FCC scheduled a tribal workshop July 17 at Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan in Mount Pleasant, said a public notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. It begins about 8:45 a.m. and will include information on spectrum opportunities the commission is considering that may promote expanded broadband access on tribal lands.

The FCC scheduled a tribal workshop July 17 at Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan in Mount Pleasant, said a public notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. It begins about 8:45 a.m. and will include information on spectrum opportunities the commission is considering that may promote expanded broadband access on tribal lands.

States are still deciding if they should join New York and nine other AGs suing to stop T-Mobile from buying Sprint, AG offices told us this week. Completing the deal could depend on the state case, unless a global settlement satisfies everyone involved, said Pennsylvania State University law professor Susan Beth Farmer. A pre-trial status conference scheduled Friday in New York is expected to be for scheduling purposes, and the court probably won't decide then on a preliminary injunction, said a spokesperson for New York AG Letitia James (D). The lawsuit was filed at U.S. District Court for the Southern District (see 1906140041).