Reps. Norma Torres and Anna Eshoo, both California Democrats, requested a GAO report on the implementation of next-generation 911. “What is the impact of state diversion of 911 emergency fees on PSAPs [public safety answering points] and their ability to serve the community?” they asked in their letter, released Tuesday. “What authority does Congress have or what authority would Congress need to prevent state diversion of 911 emergency fees? … Considering that many 911 call centers have not adopted NG911 technologies or implemented training in these technologies to its dispatchers, what funding could the federal government provide to help ensure centers are able to invest in new technology and training?” Last week, the bipartisan House Commerce Committee leadership requested a GAO study on the Office of Emergency Communications’ handling of its finances and land mobile radio.
Comments are due July 21, replies Aug. 5 on the Connect America Fund auction the FCC is planning after a summary of a Further NPRM in docket 10-90 was published in Tuesday's Federal Register. The FCC approved the CAF Phase II auction FNPRM along with an order May 25 to provide $215 million in annual broadband-oriented support to unsubsidized rural areas traditionally served by larger telcos (see 1605250046). "The Commission seeks comment on three discrete sets of issues relating to the process for determining winning bidders: How to apply weights to the different levels of performance adopted in the Order above; measures to achieve the public interest objective of ensuring appropriate support for all of the states; and measures to achieve the public interest objective of expanding broadband on Tribal lands," said the summary.
Comments are due July 21, replies Aug. 5 on the Connect America Fund auction the FCC is planning after a summary of a Further NPRM in docket 10-90 was published in Tuesday's Federal Register. The FCC approved the CAF Phase II auction FNPRM along with an order May 25 to provide $215 million in annual broadband-oriented support to unsubsidized rural areas traditionally served by larger telcos (see 1605250046). "The Commission seeks comment on three discrete sets of issues relating to the process for determining winning bidders: How to apply weights to the different levels of performance adopted in the Order above; measures to achieve the public interest objective of ensuring appropriate support for all of the states; and measures to achieve the public interest objective of expanding broadband on Tribal lands," said the summary.
Numerous interstate telecom service providers and related industry groups want reform of FCC interstate telecom service provider (ITSP) regulatory fees, but there isn't consensus how. Much of the debate involves an ITTA set of proposals to reassign Wireline Bureau full-time equivalents (FTEs) to the Wireless Bureau, to combine commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) and interstate telecom service provider (ITSP) regulatory fee categories, or to create a new CMRS fee subcategory under ITSP. Monday was the deadline for comments on FCC FY 2016 proposed regulatory fees, with replies due July 5. "Whatever solution the Commission chooses, it is past time ... to rationalize the amount ITSPs pay in regulatory fees," Frontier Communications said Tuesday in docket 16-166.
House appropriators adopted an amendment that would require CBP to explain its drawback policies in the face of concerns that the agency might be wrongly denying unused merchandise drawback claims, as well as drawback claims where taxes are collected by federal agencies other than CBP. The amendment is part of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill for fiscal year 2017 approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 22. That amendment would also require CBP to provide lawmakers with a report detailing “why drawback claims are not treated consistently” across all categories of imported goods, as well as the reasons for rejection of drawback claims for “certain imported products,” whether paid to CBP or a partner government agency. The bill now goes to the House floor for consideration. Senate appropriators sent their version of fiscal 2017 Department of Homeland Security funding legislation to that chamber’s floor in May (see 1605260037).
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on June 21 the following voluntary recalls:
ATSC 3.0's framers evaluating high-dynamic-range proposals for the next-generation broadcast standard want to do those evaluations right rather than do them fast, and so have extended their deadline two months to Sept. 30 for choosing a winning HDR proposal. That was the surprise disclosure Thursday from two ATSC 3.0 framers on a Society of Motion Picture and TV Engineers webinar held to summarize the “Ins and Outs of ATSC 3.0." But the disclosure appeared to take by surprise ATSC President Mark Richer, who told us the framers mistakenly jumped the gun on publicizing a two-month deadline extension that hasn't been authorized at the highest levels within ATSC.
ATSC 3.0's framers evaluating high-dynamic-range proposals for the next-generation broadcast standard want to do those evaluations right rather than do them fast, and so have extended their deadline two months to Sept. 30 for choosing a winning HDR proposal. That was the surprise disclosure Thursday from two ATSC 3.0 framers on a Society of Motion Picture and TV Engineers webinar held to summarize the “Ins and Outs of ATSC 3.0." But the disclosure appeared to take by surprise ATSC President Mark Richer, who told us the framers mistakenly jumped the gun on publicizing a two-month deadline extension that hasn't been authorized at the highest levels within ATSC.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, succeeded at quietly watering down the Senate’s set-top box rider attached to the FY 2017 Financial Services funding bill, which advanced through the full Appropriations Committee Thursday in a 30-0 vote. The rider, which would force a pause to the FCC's set-top rulemaking for further study, never came up directly during the long markup, encompassing FY2017 FCC and FTC funding. But Schatz changed the wording of the set-top rider through the bill’s manager’s package, unanimously accepted as part of the bill.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, succeeded at quietly watering down the Senate’s set-top box rider attached to the FY 2017 Financial Services funding bill, which advanced through the full Appropriations Committee Thursday in a 30-0 vote. The rider, which would force a pause to the FCC's set-top rulemaking for further study, never came up directly during the long markup, encompassing FY2017 FCC and FTC funding. But Schatz changed the wording of the set-top rider through the bill’s manager’s package, unanimously accepted as part of the bill.