The Democrat leading the race to be New Jersey governor by a wide margin supports ISP privacy rules. The position, which seems to counter President Donald Trump’s repeal of FCC broadband privacy rules, raised ISP eyebrows and Free Press praise. Meanwhile, gubernatorial candidates in Virginia laid out detailed plans to expand broadband, with the Democrat urging better data and the Republican seeking deregulation to spur private sector deployment. A state cable association said both Virginia candidates need to study, and a municipal advocate said he’s not excited by either’s broadband platform.

Cellular company Smith Bagley asked the FCC to limit eligibility for enhanced tribal Lifeline USF support to facilities-based carriers, and NTCA petitioned for near-term wireline relief from new Lifeline minimum service standards. The enhanced support helped Smith Bagley (Cellular One) construct more than 200 cellsites and upgrade its network, said a filing posted Monday in docket 11-42 on meetings with Wireline Bureau staffers and aides to all FCC commissioners other than Jessica Rosenworcel. Allowing resellers to receive enhanced support discourages network investment, said the provider. It also asked the FCC "to carefully calibrate any limitation on enhanced Lifeline that related to population density so as to not exclude Tribal lands whose residents are in difficult circumstances." NTCA asked the FCC to set aside updated Lifeline minimum service standards for fixed, wireline broadband internet access services (BIAS) eligible for support. The agency should "temporarily waive the strict application of the new minimum service speed standard and 'grandfather' existing BIAS customers [with 10/1 Mbps] service, enabling such consumers to continue to receive that service should they so choose," it petitioned. "Because the increase in speed [to 15/2 Mbps] will almost certainly come with an increase in monthly rates that may be unaffordable for some low-income consumers, the updated minimum speed standard could have the unintended consequence of forcing some low-income rural consumers to discontinue their service." NTCA said a long-term solution is needed to help RLECs offer stand-alone, affordable broadband.

Cellular company Smith Bagley asked the FCC to limit eligibility for enhanced tribal Lifeline USF support to facilities-based carriers, and NTCA petitioned for near-term wireline relief from new Lifeline minimum service standards. The enhanced support helped Smith Bagley (Cellular One) construct more than 200 cellsites and upgrade its network, said a filing posted Monday in docket 11-42 on meetings with Wireline Bureau staffers and aides to all FCC commissioners other than Jessica Rosenworcel. Allowing resellers to receive enhanced support discourages network investment, said the provider. It also asked the FCC "to carefully calibrate any limitation on enhanced Lifeline that related to population density so as to not exclude Tribal lands whose residents are in difficult circumstances." NTCA asked the FCC to set aside updated Lifeline minimum service standards for fixed, wireline broadband internet access services (BIAS) eligible for support. The agency should "temporarily waive the strict application of the new minimum service speed standard and 'grandfather' existing BIAS customers [with 10/1 Mbps] service, enabling such consumers to continue to receive that service should they so choose," it petitioned. "Because the increase in speed [to 15/2 Mbps] will almost certainly come with an increase in monthly rates that may be unaffordable for some low-income consumers, the updated minimum speed standard could have the unintended consequence of forcing some low-income rural consumers to discontinue their service." NTCA said a long-term solution is needed to help RLECs offer stand-alone, affordable broadband.

FirstNet unveiled a tribal consultation policy Monday to help the first responder network deal with some of the trickier issues it faces. The policy enables tribes to “express their public safety needs through a nation-to-nation relationship between FirstNet and the country’s 567 federally recognized tribes,” FirstNet said in a news release. FirstNet officials said in the past that tribal issues are complicated because they often involve more than one state (see 1707270046). “This policy recognizes the importance of working directly with Indian Country for the deployment and operation of the Network and being responsive to the needs of public safety communications on tribal lands” said FirstNet board member Kevin McGinnis, the board’s tribal liaison.

Satellite Industry Association Senior Director-Policy Charity Weeden leaving at start of 2018 "to develop a private space consulting practice," she tells us ... Viacom expands role of Senior Vice President Jennifer Zaldivar-Clark to oversee talent for Paramount Network and she remains in that post for talent and communications at TV Land ... Agencies under Department of Commerce announce Performance Review Board members, appointed for two years, including NTIA Associate Administrator-Spectrum Management Paige Atkins, career Senior Executive Service; and FirstNet Chief Administrative Officer Frank Freeman, also career SES.

Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, to keynote SMPTE's Women in Technology luncheon Monday, 12:15 p.m., Hollywood & Highland Center, Los Angeles ... Viacom expands role of Senior Vice President Jennifer Zaldivar-Clark to oversee talent for Paramount Network and she remains in that post for talent and communications at TV Land.

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., filed their Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988), as expected (see 1710190059). The Speed bill would aim to accelerate broadband deployments by exempting some projects in public rights-of-way (ROWs) from environmental and historic reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Telecom infrastructure projects in public ROWs would be exempted if previously installed telecom infrastructure in the ROW already underwent NEPA and NHPA reviews. Wireless deployments would be exempted if the project adheres to tower height and guy wire requirements. Small-cell deployments would be exempted if they aren’t being deployed higher than existing structures in the ROW and if the deployment is a replacement for an existing small cell. S-1988 would direct GAO to report how to increase the efficiency of broadband infrastructure deployments on federal land. The legislation also would direct the FCC Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group to report to Congress on its recommendations for accelerating broadband deployments across the U.S. “New advances in telehealth, online education, precision agriculture, and other internet applications demand faster, better broadband connections,” Wicker said. The bill “will go a long way in removing unnecessary and burdensome hurdles to broadband deployment,” said AT&T Executive Vice President-Federal Relations Tim McKone. A more streamlined review process “will greatly help speed the process of bringing critical mobile broadband services to areas still in-need, for the benefit of consumers and the economy,” said Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry. “This legislation is especially important for smaller competitive carriers with limited resources and personnel.” S-1988 will “pave the way for significant investment in next-generation 5G wireless,” said CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole.

AML BitCoin names tech founder Japheth Dillman chief strategy officer; engineer and consultant Jon Sczder chief technology officer; Angela Knight, chair of asset-manager Tilman Brewin, vice president-European affairs; and ex-diplomat Carlos De La Guardia vice president-Latin America affairs ... Electric Cloud promotes Carmine Napolitano to CEO, succeeding Steve Brodie, continuing there as a strategic adviser ... New York Times Co. appoints Tom Armstrong, ex-Fairfax Media Metro Publishing, vice president-advertising, Asia Pacific, a region he helps lead; Alexandra Benard, ex-Politico, hired to oversee the office from Singapore where Armstrong is.

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., filed their Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988), as expected (see 1710190059). The Speed bill would aim to accelerate broadband deployments by exempting some projects in public rights-of-way (ROWs) from environmental and historic reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Telecom infrastructure projects in public ROWs would be exempted if previously installed telecom infrastructure in the ROW already underwent NEPA and NHPA reviews. Wireless deployments would be exempted if the project adheres to tower height and guy wire requirements. Small-cell deployments would be exempted if they aren’t being deployed higher than existing structures in the ROW and if the deployment is a replacement for an existing small cell. S-1988 would direct GAO to report how to increase the efficiency of broadband infrastructure deployments on federal land. The legislation also would direct the FCC Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group to report to Congress on its recommendations for accelerating broadband deployments across the U.S. “New advances in telehealth, online education, precision agriculture, and other internet applications demand faster, better broadband connections,” Wicker said. The bill “will go a long way in removing unnecessary and burdensome hurdles to broadband deployment,” said AT&T Executive Vice President-Federal Relations Tim McKone. A more streamlined review process “will greatly help speed the process of bringing critical mobile broadband services to areas still in-need, for the benefit of consumers and the economy,” said Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry. “This legislation is especially important for smaller competitive carriers with limited resources and personnel.” S-1988 will “pave the way for significant investment in next-generation 5G wireless,” said CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole.

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., filed their Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988), as expected (see 1710190059). The Speed bill would aim to accelerate broadband deployments by exempting some projects in public rights-of-way (ROWs) from environmental and historic reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Telecom infrastructure projects in public ROWs would be exempted if previously installed telecom infrastructure in the ROW already underwent NEPA and NHPA reviews. Wireless deployments would be exempted if the project adheres to tower height and guy wire requirements. Small-cell deployments would be exempted if they aren’t being deployed higher than existing structures in the ROW and if the deployment is a replacement for an existing small cell. S-1988 would direct GAO to report how to increase the efficiency of broadband infrastructure deployments on federal land. The legislation also would direct the FCC Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group to report to Congress on its recommendations for accelerating broadband deployments across the U.S. “New advances in telehealth, online education, precision agriculture, and other internet applications demand faster, better broadband connections,” Wicker said. The bill “will go a long way in removing unnecessary and burdensome hurdles to broadband deployment,” said AT&T Executive Vice President-Federal Relations Tim McKone. A more streamlined review process “will greatly help speed the process of bringing critical mobile broadband services to areas still in-need, for the benefit of consumers and the economy,” said Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry. “This legislation is especially important for smaller competitive carriers with limited resources and personnel.” S-1988 will “pave the way for significant investment in next-generation 5G wireless,” said CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole.