Wireless industry officials welcomed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s outreach to the tribes on siting issues Tuesday. But industry officials also said they fear that without FCC action little progress will be made in curbing what they see as roadblocks to building small cells and other infrastructure on tribal lands. Pai didn’t release a statement about the meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona, but tweeted about it Tuesday, complete with photos from the closed-door meeting. “Excellent exchanges with tribal leaders, from Nez Perce to Pueblo,” Pai tweeted. “Thanks to Navajo Nation Pres. @RussellBegaye for hosting consultation!”
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and new FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr both were on the road Tuesday. Pai was at a tribal consultation at the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort in Flagstaff, Arizona, Tuesday afternoon. The event was closed to the public and the FCC didn’t have an immediate readout on what was said. Wireless carrier officials told us Tuesday that cutting the cost of siting small cells and other wireless facilities on tribal lands remains a challenging area for industry. “Look forward to going west to discuss closing the digital divide with Navajo Nation,” Pai tweeted early in the day. Carr was in North Carolina at the start of a trip focusing on job creation and other economic issues. Carr “will be learning more about the important role that tech and telecom policies can play in creating jobs, spurring investment, and growing the economy for the benefit of all Americans,” a spokesman said. “Great to be in the Tar Heel state today,” Carr tweeted. “Will tour a fiber manufacturing plant & visit a broadband deployment site.” Carr later tweeted: "Visited a Charter call center today in Charlotte. ... Great to hear about the new jobs being added here."
The coming generation of larger launch vehicles doesn't raise different regulatory approval issues from existing rockets because the new rockets have to meet the same public safety requirements, the FAA emailed Monday, confirming what satellite and launch experts said (see 1708180008). The agency said proposed launch vehicles might have "unique" hazards such as larger propellant loads or flying back multiple boosters to land at the same time, but it will treat these vehicles "just like existing vehicles." The FAA said it will identify each new launch vehicle’s hazards and require launch operators to mitigate these hazards. It also said the size of launch vehicles isn't what drives the need for new regulatory review techniques.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will visit Arizona and Nevada this week "to discuss bridging the digital divide and extending digital opportunity to all Americans," said an agency release Monday. The trip will include a meeting with leaders of the Navajo Nation and other tribes Tuesday, a business roundtable discussion with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and others Wednesday, a discussion on the siting of broadband facilities on federal lands with the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, and a separate infrastructure discussion with Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and others Thursday. Pai also plans to meet with local broadcasters.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will visit Arizona and Nevada this week "to discuss bridging the digital divide and extending digital opportunity to all Americans," said an agency release Monday. The trip will include a meeting with leaders of the Navajo Nation and other tribes Tuesday, a business roundtable discussion with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and others Wednesday, a discussion on the siting of broadband facilities on federal lands with the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, and a separate infrastructure discussion with Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and others Thursday. Pai also plans to meet with local broadcasters.
Entravision joined the calls from Ion and others for the FCC to revamp its repacking plans, in comments filed in docket 16-306 (see 1708170047). On-the-ground realities of the repack “outpaced” the FCC’s “overly optimistic” repacking plan, Entravision said. It declared support for Ion’s criticisms of repacking stations to channel 14, which faces increased interference from land mobile (LM) operations, putting Entravision in a “lose-lose” situation. The FCC should either reassign broadcasters from channel 14 or subsidize the technical solutions to LM interference, Entravision said.
While launch companies pursue a new generation of super-sized launchers aimed at everything from military to non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) markets, there's no clear idea how interested the commercial satellite industry might be. But launch and satellite industry experts generally agree bigger launchers shouldn't translate into bigger or new regulatory hurdles.
Atlanta attorney Carolyn Roddy, a member of the Trump transition's FCC landing team who went to the work for the FCC and then left (see 1708100047), said Monday the brevity of her service was expected. Roddy told us that after serving on the transition team, she joined the agency as part of an administration “beachhead team.” Roddy said other parts of the government got similar staff as part of a four-month transition starting when President Donald Trump took office in January. “I was technically assigned to the Wireless Bureau,” she said. “It was always understood that it would be 120 days.” Key staff positions have been filled at the FCC and Chairman Ajit Pai has an agenda, she said: “There was no reason for me to be extended.” Roddy is back in Atlanta in private practice.
Atlanta attorney Carolyn Roddy, a member of the Trump transition's FCC landing team who went to the work for the FCC and then left (see 1708100047), said Monday the brevity of her service was expected. Roddy told us that after serving on the transition team, she joined the agency as part of an administration “beachhead team.” Roddy said other parts of the government got similar staff as part of a four-month transition starting when President Donald Trump took office in January. “I was technically assigned to the Wireless Bureau,” she said. “It was always understood that it would be 120 days.” Key staff positions have been filled at the FCC and Chairman Ajit Pai has an agenda, she said: “There was no reason for me to be extended.” Roddy is back in Atlanta in private practice.
Atlanta attorney Carolyn Roddy, a member of the Trump transition's FCC landing team (see 1701060056), made her way to the agency in the Wireless Bureau as a political appointee, but has since left. Her appointment was revealed in records posted by MuckRock. Roddy was metropolitan Atlanta deputy field representative for the Trump campaign from November 2015 to March 2016, according to her resume. Brian Hart and Tina Pelkey, who handle media relations for Chairman Ajit Pai, are the other political appointees, records show. Roddy shows up in a May version of the bureau organization chart as special counsel in the bureau’s front office. She's no longer at the commission, officials confirmed. Roddy didn't comment.