The Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s Sept. 19 meeting will hear status reports and updates from its three working groups: Disaster Response and Recovery, Increasing Broadband Investment in Low-Income Communities, and Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Job Skills and Training Opportunities, says an FCC notice for Friday’s Federal Register. BDAC meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room.

The C-band clearing plan of America's Communications Association, Competitive Carriers Association and Charter Communications would spend "billions of dollars" on 120,000 new route miles of fiber to be deployed where there's no fiber or no redundant fiber, representatives of those three told FCC Wireline Bureau Chief Kris Monteith, per a docket 18-122 posting Thursday. Paying for that fibering with C-band auction proceeds is an economically viable solution to providing high-speed broadband to underserved locations including rural areas, they said.

Damage to communications in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands “appears to be minimal,” said the FCC’s Thursday communications status report on Hurricane Dorian as of 11:30 a.m. EDT. “Typically, the worst effects of a hurricane are not felt until one or two days after the hurricane passes through.” No public safety answering points were reported down or rerouted, and 1 percent of cellsites were out of service in the affected area. Some 6,167 cable and wireline subscribers were listed as out of service in Puerto Rico, and 419 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. No broadcasters were reported off-air. The White House approved a declaration of emergency for the U.S. Virgin Islands, said a news release Wednesday evening. President Donald Trump OK'd one for Puerto Rico Wednesday as well. And the FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for both territories (see 1908280012).

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appointed Indiana University business professor Jeffrey Prince Wednesday as chief economist. Prince will succeed Babette Boliek Tuesday, when she returns as Pepperdine University law school professor and associate dean-faculty research. Pai appointed Boliek last year (see 1807300044). The role typically lasts for one year. Prince co-directs Kelley's Institute for Business Analytics. He has written about “dynamic demand for computers, Internet adoption and usage, the inception of online/offline product competition, and telecom bundling,” the FCC said. Prince's “wealth of experience and research on the telecommunications market and Internet adoption will be of great value to the Office of Economics and Analytics and the entire” FCC, Pai said.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let challengers to FCC telecom discontinuance rules "supplement their argument that The Utility Reform Network ('TURN') has standing" in the case, by Sept. 6. "The panel will not consider any supplemental submission regarding the standing of any of the other petitioning organizations," said an order (in Pacer) Wednesday from the three judges who heard oral argument the previous day (see 1908270026). The jurists limited the supplement to 10 pages, in Greenlining Institute v. FCC. TURN was another petitioner in the case, 17-73283. TURN declined to comment, as did the FCC. Public Knowledge is "pleased that the court has provided us with the opportunity to resolve any lingering issues over standing," emailed Senior Vice President Harold Feld, who argued for petitioners in Seattle. USTelecom, which also got time at oral argument, didn't comment.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau activated the disaster information reporting system for all of Puerto Rico in response to Tropical Storm Dorian, said a public notice Tuesday. “Tropical storm conditions including heavy rain, gusty winds and high surf are expected in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday where warnings have been posted,” said a warning on the National Weather Service homepage Wednesday. “After passing north of Dominican Republic Thursday, Dorian may reach Hurricane strength on its way toward the Bahamas and possibly Florida.” DIRS reports are requested from all communications providers that serve Puerto Rico starting Thursday, the PN said. The White House approved a declaration of emergency in Puerto Rico Tuesday. The Public Safety Bureau also issued a PN on how communications providers in areas affected by Dorian can contact FCC bureaus and submit special temporary authority requests. The FCC activated DIRS for the entire U.S.Virgin Islands Wednesday.

Approval of T-Mobile/Sprint and related divestitures to Dish Network should be conditioned on Dish demonstrating a commitment to diversity, said Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins in a meeting with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks Thursday, said a filing posted in docket 18-197 Tuesday. “DISH’s track record with diversity programs and/or diversity initiatives is questionable,” the minority-audience targeting broadcaster and media company said. “Since many current Boost Mobile customers are minorities, the Commission is strongly encouraged to ensure that their interests are not be harmed by the acquisition by DISH.”

The FCC Office of Economics and Analytics and Wireless Bureau granted T-Mobile’s request to apply to participate in Auction 103, despite its pending purchase of Sprint (see 1908270023), said an order in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Bidding rules for such auctions bar participation by companies that have ongoing arrangements with other bidders, but the FCC granted similar waivers for T-Mobile in auctions 101 and 102, the order said. This now allows more participation in the “historic” auction of high-band spectrum, the staff said. The auction will “make available the largest amount of high-band spectrum for advanced wireless services ever in American history, releasing 3,400 megahertz of spectrum into the commercial marketplace for 5G deployment,” the order said. “The public interest will be best served by permitting T-Mobile to seek to participate.”

The Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee meets Sept. 19, said a Monday FCC public notice on docket 17-83. The meeting will include status reports and updates from BDAC working groups on disaster response, low-income broadband investment and infrastructure deployment training opportunities.

Eighteen groups launched a petition asking all 2020 presidential candidates to pledge to support restoring 2015 net neutrality rules and reject contributions from phone and cable company executives, lobbyists and political action committees. “It’s imperative all presidential candidates make restoring net neutrality a top priority” because Senate GOP leaders are blocking passage the Save the Internet Act (see 1906110038), the Monday petition said. HR-1644/S-682, which the House passed in April, would reverse the FCC rescinding the rules and restore reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service (see 1904100062). Seventeen of the 21 current Democratic hopefuls declared support for restoring in some form the rules, most providing little detail. Ex-Vice President Joe Biden, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Miramar, Florida, Mayor Wayne Messam and businessman Tom Steyer haven't taken a position. Their campaigns didn't comment. Color of Change, Common Cause, Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and Free Press Action Fund were among petitioners.