The FCC needs more time to finish an overdue revamp of jurisdictional separations, said states, carriers and consumer advocates. In comments last week, they supported the commission’s tentative conclusion to extend the eight- year-old freeze on separations, but fought over how much longer the “interim” measure should last. Without FCC action, the freeze will expire June 30.
The FCC will likely get lengthy input on a vast array of controversial telecom issues, as it attempts to develop a national broadband plan, said industry officials we polled for reaction Thursday. In a 52-page notice of inquiry released Wednesday (CD April 9 p1), the FCC asks questions on universal service reform, open networks and nondiscrimination, the role of competition, how to define broadband, and several other big issues. The FCC is required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to deliver its national broadband plan to Congress by Feb. 17.
The FCC will likely get lengthy input on a vast array of controversial telecom issues, as it attempts to develop a national broadband plan, said industry officials we polled for reaction Thursday. In a 52-page notice of inquiry released Wednesday (WID April 9 p2), the FCC asks questions on universal service reform, open networks and nondiscrimination, the role of competition, how to define broadband, and several other big issues. The FCC is required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to deliver its national broadband plan to Congress by Feb. 17.
The FCC opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan, at its meeting Wednesday. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the award of $48.6 million in grants under the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program. Almost $7 million of that went to New York state. California received $6 million and Texas $3.4 million. The money is to pay for “planning, training, exercises and equipment to states, territories, local and tribal governments to carry out initiatives identified in Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans, and improve interoperable emergency communications for responding to natural disasters and acts of terrorism,” DHS said.
The FCC opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan, at its meeting Wednesday. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The FCC, meeting Wednesday, opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Some federal rules and practices don’t recognize the “special characteristics” of tribal lands, Sacred Wind Communications said in comments on the FCC’s development of a rural broadband strategy (CD April 3 p15). For example, the definition of a rural community for the Rural Utility Service’s Community Connect broadband grant program “excludes communities that are not registered as Census Designated Places,” and only a handful of the 111 Navajo chapters are registered, Sacred Wind said. Federal law requires environmental and archeological surveys before any construction using federal dollars, even in tribal lands that have either been surveyed or within utility easements, said the carrier, which serves Navajos. Sacred Wind also asked the FCC to give “special consideration” to small rural local exchange carriers for the purchase of wireless spectrum to serve their own customer base. It should give eligible telecom carrier status to national wireless carriers in RLEC territory only where the rural carrier has already been provided affordable spectrum of its own, it said. Sacred Wind also asked the FCC to make arrangements with satellite providers to make satellite service more affordable for RLECs. The carrier discouraged government agencies from setting a broadband speed minimum for grants and loans. “On Navajo lands, for example, the most feasible delivery system to reach all of its communities would differ from one Chapter to the next,” it said.
CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that it is delaying until April 25, 2009 (from April 11th) the ACE update to accommodate seven additional Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant travel documents for truck drivers. (Beginning June 1, 2009, drivers must report WHTI compliant documents on e-Manifests: Truck or the manifests will be rejected.)
Network neutrality requirements for NTIA and RUS broadband grants could douse interest in the programs, the Telecommunications Manufacturer Coalition said. It said the “overwhelming majority” of telecom manufacturers oppose network neutrality. The group said in comments filed in the NTIA’s proceeding on grant rules that “a vast body of research” shows investors would be frightened away by the requirement.