Three notices of proposed rulemaking about Indian Country communications will be considered at the FCC’s March 3 meeting, a public notice said. One is a Native Nations spectrum notice, which will “explore a range of recommendations to help close the wireless gap on Tribal Lands,” the notice said. The FCC will also take up a further notice about tribal and rural radio and orders concerning radio service in tribal areas, and a further notice on adopting a tribal bidding credit as well as “alternative ways to foster radio service by Native Nations on their lands.” The commission also is taking up an “omnibus” notice of inquiry about improving communications for Native Americans. (See the related report in this issue.)
A draft FCC rulemaking notice on retransmission consent deals asks many questions about rules and practices covering the broadcast and pay-TV industries and draws few tentative conclusions, commission and industry officials said Friday. The notice circulated about 7 p.m. Thursday, FCC officials said. The agency confirmed that it’s on the tentative agenda for the March 3 meeting, as had been expected (CD Feb 8 p1). Cable, DBS and telco-TV companies and public interest groups had sought such a rulemaking, while broadcasters have said retrans works well now. Other media issues to be voted on at next month’s meeting are an order that may make it harder for radio stations to move and a rulemaking on video descriptions, agency officials said.
CBP Commissioner Bersin and officials from other Department of Homeland Security agencies have announced results to date from the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (ACTT) - a collaborative enforcement effort put in place in September 2009 that leverages the capabilities and resources of over 60 federal, state, local and tribal agencies in Arizona and the government of Mexico to combat individuals and criminal organizations that pose a threat to communities on both sides of the border.
The FCC will make tribal issues a key focus at the March 3 meeting, Wireless Bureau Chief of Staff Matthew Nodine confirmed Monday. Other commission officials also provided updates on key initiatives before the agency, in an FCC webinar Monday aimed at the states. The FCC will look at “ways to increase spectrum coverage in the tribal areas of the United States,” Nodine said. “We do have some very interesting things that we've got coming up to figure out ways to bring high-speed Internet, high-speed broadband, high-speed 3G and 4G services to the tribal areas.”
An FCC data roaming mandate is critical to help a newer challenger like T-Mobile complete with Verizon Wireless and AT&T, T-Mobile told the commission by letter. Data roaming means job growth, the carrier said. Sprint Nextel also urged the FCC this week to move forward on a data roaming requirement, which was recommended in the National Broadband Plan.
Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano spoke at the University of Texas at El Paso on January 31, 2011, highlighting DHS's efforts over the past two years to secure the Southwest border. She stated that DHS has deployed historic levels of resources and has increased collaboration with federal, state, local and tribal, and Mexican partners. In the coming months, DHS will also deploy two new forward operating bases to improve border activity coordination, tactical communications systems, and will add 1,000 new Border Patrol Agents.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano has announced that the DHS will discontinue the color-coded alerts of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) in favor of a new system, the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), which will be more specific in communicating information about terrorist threats.
The FCC is working closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as the safety agency runs a cost study of next-generation 911 (NG911), said Patrick Donovan, a Public Safety Bureau attorney adviser. The study is expected to be completed this year, and funding is critical for transition to NG911, he said Tuesday on a North American Emergency Number Association webinar. An NHTSA analysis should determine detailed costs for specific NG911 requirements and specifications, Donovan said. The FCC won’t impose new rules until a thorough analysis is completed, he said. Donovan noted that the commission adopted a notice of inquiry, stemming from a National Broadband Plan recommendation, seeking comment on capabilities that NG911 will support, the network architecture, implementation and transition issues and the proper roles of the FCC, other federal agencies and state, tribal and local governments. The notice is expected to appear in the Federal Register this week, he said. It deals more with real-time texting than other capabilities because emergency texting could be the most contentious, he said. Donovan noted that the 4G Americas industry group has released a white paper on limitations of texting to 911. The paper warned of possible delays in delivery of text messages, dispatch center problems locating senders and other vulnerabilities, he acknowledged. Some aspects of NG911 may require authority from a single agency, he said. The FCC is looking into jurisdiction issues, the ability of states to coordinate the transition to NG911 and how the commission should work with other federal agencies, Donovan said. Congress should set up a federal regulatory framework for the development of NG911 and the transition from legacy 911, he said.
Key parts of the National Broadband Plan still require action by Congress. A potential roadblock for the commission as it implements the plan remains that the commission cannot control if or how quickly Capitol Hill moves forward on its parts.
Key parts of the National Broadband Plan still require action by Congress. A potential roadblock for the commission as it implements the plan remains that the commission cannot control if or how quickly Capitol Hill moves forward on its parts.