Comments are due April 30, replies June 1 on whether the FCC should share network outage reporting system and disaster information reporting system read-only outage reports with state and federal agencies and with other public safety officials, said Tuesday's Federal Register. Commissioners voted in February (see 2002280069).
Shane Tews is the correct spelling of her name (see 2003300053).
The FCC will confirm whether any pending enforcement cases or investigations that have resulted in an "enforcement hold" could prevent license renewal application processing, said an Enforcement Bureau public notice Tuesday. The guidance detailed how to request information about holds via email.
Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told reporters his expectation is the FCC will vote on a 6 GHz item at the April 23 commissioners’ meeting (see 2003300053). “I certainly hope it is part of that agenda for next meeting,” he said Tuesday: “We’ll see it tomorrow. You’ll see it in a couple of days. … I worked with my colleagues and the commission staff to get it on [the April] meeting.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau acted Monday to keep subscribers from being kicked out of the Lifeline program during the COVID-19 pandemic. An order waived until May 29 usage requirements and general de-enrollment procedures and recertification and reverification requirements. “Requiring Lifeline subscribers to potentially leave their homes either to gather the necessary documentation to prove their continued eligibility in the program or to re-enroll in the Lifeline program after being de-enrolled for non-usage would create a potential risk to public health and be contrary to the public interest,” the bureau said. Staff will consider further steps. The order said eligibility requirements “remain in effect, and those who are not eligible for the program may not enroll.”
Huawei questioned the legality of rules barring U.S. providers from using its and ZTE's equipment in networks funded by the USF, in comments on implementation of the Secure Networks Act (see 2003120061). Filings were posted in dockets 19-351 and 19-352 Monday. “Since June 2018, Huawei has repeatedly highlighted the constitutional, statutory and procedural flaws in the Commission’s approach to addressing national security risks to the communications supply chain,” the Chinese vendor said. The Networks Act “requires the Commission to rely on specific national security determinations made by other agencies (or Congress) and does not allow the Commission (or the Bureau) to make such judgments itself,” Huawei said. ZTE cited differences between November's order (see 1911220033) and the act and said decisions about covered companies must be made by “an executive branch interagency body” not the commission acting alone. The agency should first focus on reimbursements for companies that need to replace equipment from the Chinese vendors, the Rural Wireless Association said. RWA said COVID-19 raises new concerns: “Given the unprecedented events of the last few weeks, the fact that the Secure Networks Act does not require final designation until 2021, and the ultimate desire by all parties operating covered company equipment to replace those elements as soon as practicable, the Commission should abstain from issuing any final designation public notice before March 2021.” WTA asked the FCC to reconsider its rules. “A plain reading of the Act requires the Commission to replace its current designation process with an equipment-centric approach instead of the company-centric approach it adopted,” WTA said. USTelecom said the FCC must rely on language in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019 in crafting rules. The act “compels the Commission to confirm its designation of Huawei and ZTE as entities that produce covered equipment,” the group said: The earlier supply chain order "presented significant evidence describing why both Huawei and ZTE warrant designations as ‘companies that pose a threat to national security.’”
A cease and desist letter from President Donald Trump's presidential campaign to broadcasters airing a commercial critical of Trump’s response to COVID-19 is a potential abuse of power, said Common Cause Friday. The letter from the campaign warns that the advertisement is false and misleading, and warns broadcasters they must “cease and desist from airing it immediately to comply with FCC licensing requirements.” The FCC “has no authority to revoke broadcast licenses for airing political advertisements critical of the President’s actions,” said Common Cause Media and Democracy Program Director Yosef Getachew. The FCC, White House and NAB didn’t comment. Thursday, Free Press urged the FCC to force stations airing false information about COVID-19 -- including from Trump’s own news conferences -- to air disclosures and corrections (see 2003260065).
President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (HR-748) Friday, soon after the House voice voted to pass the bill. The Senate passed the measure Wednesday (see 2003260063). HR-748, Congress’ third bill to address the effects of COVID-19, includes telehealth provisions and pandemic-related appropriations for the FCC, Rural Utilities Service and CPB. The measure allows the register of copyrights to temporarily toll, waive, adjust or modify deadline and timing provisions through December 2021 if an executive-declared national emergency disrupts or suspends ordinary copyright system functions. The law gives the register discretion over the reasonableness, scope and severity of the alterations. House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., wants additional telecom language in “future legislation.” Congress “must ensure affordable treatment for all, expand distance learning programs and access to the internet for low-income Americans, protect consumers from price gouging and prevent critical services from being shut off during this crisis,” he said. Several other Democrats also want a fourth COVID-19 bill to include broadband capacity and distance learning provisions, including Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. (see 2003250046). House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., said Congress “must do more … but this bill is an important step in the right direction.” House Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., hopes “as this public health crisis evolves, we can put the political swords down, focus on finding solutions and prove to the American people that we are in it together.” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks believes the FCC “must do more to advance its own ‘connectivity stimulus,’” including examining “its statutory authority and funding resources and take bold action to respond to the current crisis.” NTCA believes additional legislation should include language from the recently filed Keeping Critical Connections Act (HR-6394/S-3569), said CEO Shirley Bloomfield. HR-6394/S-3569 would set up a $2 billion fund at the FCC to compensate ISPs with fewer than 250,000 customers for providing free or discounted broadband services during the pandemic to low-income households that can't afford to pay their bills. NAB plans to advocate for future COVID-19 bills to include "further relief for broadcasters who keep communities safe with life-saving emergency information and fact-based journalism," said CEO Gordon Smith. ATA, CTA and the Wireless ISP Association also praised HR-748.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks wants a longer deadline extension for comments on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s Mozilla v. FCC net neutrality decision. Given the importance of ensuring broadband connectivity for the most vulnerable to and most active in the COVID-19 response, the agency needs feedback on how its net neutrality decision affects Lifeline participants and public safety, he said Wednesday. Noting the continually shifting crisis, California's Santa Clara County emailed us it "didn't know yet" whether it might seek a further deadline extension. The county was among the parties seeking a 30-day extension, and the FCC said Wednesday it will grant a 21-day one (see 2003250041).
Lobbying continues on the 6 GHz item expected to get a commissioner vote in April (see 2003190051). The 5G Automotive Association said rules must protect cellular vehicle to everything in the upper 5.9 GHz band. “The modest safeguards 5GAA requests are necessary -- particularly at this point in time, when the full uses of portable unlicensed [very low power] operations in the 6 GHz band remain largely unknown,” the group said. Filings were posted Thursday in docket 18-295. CableLabs, Charter and Comcast told Office of Engineering and Technology staff low-power indoor operations across the entire band “at an 8 dBm/MHz radiated power spectral density (PSD) will unleash unparalleled innovation with the deployment of Wi-Fi 6 and future generations such as Wi-Fi 7, which will bring multi-gigabit, high compute connectivity, and support the continued expansion of broadband performance for Americans in communities of all sizes.” CTIA and member companies argued (see 2003050058) for exploring licensed use of the upper part of the spectrum, in a call with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, plus Wireless Bureau and OET staff. The U.S. “needs to double its licensed mid-band spectrum to keep up with leading nations,” CTIA said. Qualcomm said the rules must be technology neutral. Without a rule ensuring equal access “asynchronous nodes can starve synchronous nodes, particularly in dense environments where this new unlicensed band is needed most, and thus curtail the demonstrated performance benefits of synchronous access, including greatly improved throughput and latency,” the company said.