The National League of Cities is “calling on Congress to eliminate state barriers, such as preemptive laws and cumbersome procedural hurdles, to municipal broadband networks” and “to increase the financial viability of middle- and last-mile broadband infrastructure investment by incentivizing the inclusion of conduit or fiber in federally-funded infrastructure projects,” said Vice Mayor David Luna of Mesa, Arizona, in a blog post Thursday. Luna is in Washington this week to advocate for such broadband investment, he said. The league is asking Congress “to invest more in existing programs that help bring broadband to more people,” citing the Rural Utilities Service’s Broadband Loan Program and the Community Development Block Grant and Choice Neighborhood Grant programs, he said. The local officials are “working with Congress and the administration to preserve local land-use authority as cities grapple with technological changes,” he said.
Lawmakers recently introduced the following trade-related bills:
The National League of Cities is “calling on Congress to eliminate state barriers, such as preemptive laws and cumbersome procedural hurdles, to municipal broadband networks” and “to increase the financial viability of middle- and last-mile broadband infrastructure investment by incentivizing the inclusion of conduit or fiber in federally-funded infrastructure projects,” said Vice Mayor David Luna of Mesa, Arizona, in a blog post Thursday. Luna is in Washington this week to advocate for such broadband investment, he said. The league is asking Congress “to invest more in existing programs that help bring broadband to more people,” citing the Rural Utilities Service’s Broadband Loan Program and the Community Development Block Grant and Choice Neighborhood Grant programs, he said. The local officials are “working with Congress and the administration to preserve local land-use authority as cities grapple with technological changes,” he said.
Requiring all non-geostationary satellite operators in Canada to provide complete coverage of the country as a condition for market access would mean fewer competing NGSO services available for Canadians. That was the argument raised by U.S. satellite operators in replies posted Friday by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada as it looks at a rewrite of NGSO rules (see 1704240026). Boeing said there's broad agreement that ISED shouldn't limit the number of licensed systems, require third-party arbitration of coordination disputes or make foreign NGSOs complete international coordination before being authorized for Canada, but there's broad disagreement on coordination requirements and Canadian coverage and capacity requirements. ISED might want to impose conditions on Canadian-licensed NGSOs on direction and control of the systems, but there's no valid argument for concluding Canadians won't see satellite service without Canadian coverage and capacity reservation requirements, it said. O3b said some proposals, such as requiring foreign-licensed NGSOs coordinate with Canadian-licensed systems before getting access to the Canadian market, could create an imbalanced competitive playing field. It advocated that ISED adopt in-line interference rules similar to the FCC's, with consequences such as spectrum splitting for two operators unable to coordinate as a means of encouraging coordination in good faith. ViaSat said requiring foreign-licensed NGSOs to complete coordination with Canadian satellite operators gives those Canadian operators the incentive and opportunity "to control the timing and pace of market entry by their competitors." ViaSat backed a proposal by a coalition of Canadian satellite operators that coordination be required, but requests for Canadian landing rights not be denied or delayed if a foreign-licensed operator has ITU date priority or is facing delays in reaching a timely coordination arrangement. OneWeb said ISED's proposed milestone requirement, that large NGSO systems have a third of their constellations up by year six after being licensed and fully deployed by year nine, would result in spectrum warehousing and give a milestone extension to already authorized NGSO systems.
The Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders voiced support for the “prompt confirmation” of CBP Commissioner nominee Kevin McAleenan in a May 16 letter to the senators from California, Oregon and Washington. “He has been willing, even eager, to meet with West Coast customs brokers and freight forwarders,” the PCC said. “He has traveled to each of the seaport, airport and the land border crossings through which we facilitate trade. He knows first-hand the impact of CBP in trade facilitation and enforcement, and the need for adequate and well-trained CBP staffing.” It is more essential than ever to provide CBP with the resources and staffing it needs to facilitate international trade flows and enforce trade rules, the PCC said. "While our member customs brokers and freight forwarders are physically located along the Pacific Coast, they are engaged in facilitating legitimate international commerce to all the nation’s border, air and ocean ports of entry," it said.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., reacted favorably to the Department of the Treasury’s progress report on initial actions taken under the bilateral U.S.-China 100-day plan on economic cooperation reached in April (see 1704100008). Among other things, a Treasury fact sheet described pathways that the U.S. would take to open its market to Chinese cooked poultry imports and that China would take to open its market to U.S. beef imports (see 1705120003). Roberts in a statement (here) said ongoing discussions between the two nations could have “tremendous benefits for agriculture.” “Negotiating market access for U.S. beef products into China has been a prolonged effort, and I will remain cautiously optimistic until I see the first shipment of American beef land in China,” Roberts said. “USDA and USTR, along with the Departments of Commerce and Treasury, have made great strides thus far. Having U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer and the newly created Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs on board will bolster those activities. I’m hopeful they’ll get to work on other export markets as well.”
Comments on broadband healthcare solutions are due at the FCC May 24, replies June 8, said a commission public notice in docket 16-46 published in Wednesday's Federal Register after being issued last month (see 1704240068). The FCC seeks "information on a variety of regulatory, policy, and infrastructure issues related to the emerging broadband-enabled health and care ecosystem," said an FR summary of the item. The commission "seeks to ensure that consumers -- from major cities to rural and remote areas, Tribal lands, and underserved regions -- can access potentially lifesaving health technologies and services, like telehealth and telemedicine, which are enabled by broadband connectivity." A Connect2HealthFCC Task Force will use the information to make recommendations to the agency, the item said. Accompanying it was an FR summary of another FCC notice seeking comments by Tuesday, replies by May 26 on petitions for reconsideration of USF Mobility Fund rules filed by the Rural Wireless Association; CTIA; Blue Wireless; Panhandle Telephone Cooperative and Pine Belt Cellular; Blooston Rural Carriers; Rural Wireless Carriers; and T-Mobile.
Comments on broadband healthcare solutions are due at the FCC May 24, replies June 8, said a commission public notice in docket 16-46 published in Wednesday's Federal Register after being issued last month (see 1704240068). The FCC seeks "information on a variety of regulatory, policy, and infrastructure issues related to the emerging broadband-enabled health and care ecosystem," said an FR summary of the item. The commission "seeks to ensure that consumers -- from major cities to rural and remote areas, Tribal lands, and underserved regions -- can access potentially lifesaving health technologies and services, like telehealth and telemedicine, which are enabled by broadband connectivity." A Connect2HealthFCC Task Force will use the information to make recommendations to the agency, the item said. Accompanying it was an FR summary of another FCC notice seeking comments by Tuesday, replies by May 26 on petitions for reconsideration of USF Mobility Fund rules filed by the Rural Wireless Association; CTIA; Blue Wireless; Panhandle Telephone Cooperative and Pine Belt Cellular; Blooston Rural Carriers; Rural Wireless Carriers; and T-Mobile.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai defended his recent record on tribal broadband matters to Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., who led a letter on the topic earlier this year. The commission incorporated the higher tribal land costs into the reserve prices of the Connect America Fund Phase II bidding process, Pai said in his April 28 reply, released Monday. “I am proud to have proposed to my colleagues, and for the FCC to have adopted, the Tribal Mobility Fund Phase II at the Commission's February 23 meeting,” Pai said, noting he requested the Office of Native Affairs and Policy coordinate with the Wireless and Wireline bureaus “to help direct that funding to reach Tribal members in remote areas that would otherwise be without access to next-generation services.” He cited a proposal he circulated in February: “The order recognizes that carriers serving Tribal lands incur costs that other rural carriers do not face, resulting in significantly higher operating expenses to serve very sparsely populated service areas." It "would allow carriers serving Tribal lands a greater ability to recover operating expenses, thus improving the financial viability of operating a broadband network serving Tribal lands,” he said. Pai directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. "to give additional time to Tribal families living in the remote reaches of the Navajo Nation to comply with a certification deadline for the Lifeline program."
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai defended his recent record on tribal broadband matters to Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., who led a letter on the topic earlier this year. The commission incorporated the higher tribal land costs into the reserve prices of the Connect America Fund Phase II bidding process, Pai said in his April 28 reply, released Monday. “I am proud to have proposed to my colleagues, and for the FCC to have adopted, the Tribal Mobility Fund Phase II at the Commission's February 23 meeting,” Pai said, noting he requested the Office of Native Affairs and Policy coordinate with the Wireless and Wireline bureaus “to help direct that funding to reach Tribal members in remote areas that would otherwise be without access to next-generation services.” He cited a proposal he circulated in February: “The order recognizes that carriers serving Tribal lands incur costs that other rural carriers do not face, resulting in significantly higher operating expenses to serve very sparsely populated service areas." It "would allow carriers serving Tribal lands a greater ability to recover operating expenses, thus improving the financial viability of operating a broadband network serving Tribal lands,” he said. Pai directed the Universal Service Administrative Co. "to give additional time to Tribal families living in the remote reaches of the Navajo Nation to comply with a certification deadline for the Lifeline program."