Wednesday night's vice presidential debate featured telecom and tech policy, unlike the debate last week between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California contrasted Biden’s infrastructure proposals with Trump’s record. Biden has “a plan that is about investing in infrastructure, something [Trump] said he would do,” Harris said. She cited the Trump administration’s repeated bids for an “Infrastructure Week” aimed at advancing talks on spending for broadband and other projects, but “I don’t think it ever happened.” Trump in March noted interest in pursuing $2 trillion in infrastructure spending as part of COVID-19 legislation (see 2003310070). The House passed the Moving Forward Act (HR-2) in July, including broadband and next-generation 911 funding (see 2007010071). Harris said the administration doesn’t believe sufficiently enough in science, and that hurt the U.S. position as innovation leader. Vice President Mike Pence said Biden is a “cheerleader” for the Communist Party-led Chinese government and “wants to go back to the economic surrender to China.” Harris criticized the Trump administration's trade war with China. Neither candidate named specific Chinese companies that have drawn lawmakers’ scrutiny.

Reported 911 dispatching issues in Washington alarmed Republican House Commerce Committee ranking members. Greg Walden of Oregon from the full panel, Communications Subcommittee's Robert Latta of Ohio and Environment Subcommittee's John Shimkus of Illinois asked District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) Thursday for a briefing “to better understand the failure of the ... emergency dispatch system, including whether the 9-1-1 system played a role,” the members wrote Thursday. Not everyone welcomed what they consider politicization.

A possible switch from an elected to governor-appointed New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is dividing current and possibly future members. New Mexicans will vote Nov. 3 on that issue and on who will fill two commissioner seats at least until 2023, when the change would take effect. Nine other states also have utility regulator elections this year, with several candidates talking broadband.

The FCC blocking state 911 fee diverters from 4.9 GHz spectrum is “just another example of Washington using the levers of government to punish New York,” one of five states implicated by a major addition to the agency's initial draft order (see 2010050038), a New York State Budget Division spokesperson emailed Monday. “This valuable spectrum is currently in use by public safety entities in New York State.” New York uses 911 fee revenue “to upgrade public safety communication systems and support emergency services operations, statewide, including through the provision of interoperable communications grants,” the spokesperson said. “These programs are providing critical funding to help first responders at all levels of government communicate faster and respond sooner.” By diverting 40% of 911 fee revenue to the general fund, New York "is perpetrating fraud ... and compromising public safety," an FCC spokesperson emailed Tuesday. "This is unacceptable, and it needs to stop."

The FCC made major changes to its draft 4.9 GHz order after it was circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai, based on our comparison. Commissioners last week approved the order on a party-line vote (see 2009300050). It now includes a section blocking states that divert 911 funds from participating. The FCC will make the cut, initially, based on the 2019 fee diversion report. Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and West Virginia are initially ineligible. A comparison of the draft and final order and Further NPRM on 5G in 3.45-3.55 GHz also found changes.

Seven telecom providers agreed to pay civil penalties of $4,000 or less each and abide by a compliance plan after failing to file timely 911 service reliability certifications last year, the FCC Public Safety Bureau said Friday. The seven are: Alteva of Warwick, Arkwest Communications, Cass Telephone, ComSouth Telecommunications, Dumont Telephone, Geneseo Telephone and Union Telephone. None commented. “When you call 911, your call should go through,” said Public Safety Bureau Chief Lisa Fowlkes: “Telecommunications providers that route emergency calls are responsible for taking 911 service reliability measures and certifying to the Commission each year that they have done so.”

The FCC approved an order 3-2 making broad changes to how the 4.9 GHz band is allocated. Wednesday's commissioners' meeting featured dissents from Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, as expected (see 2009240039). Mike O’Rielly expressed skepticism, saying he voted yes because doing something is better than doing nothing. Commissioners approved 5-0 a notice of inquiry on “ways to dissuade states and territories from diverting fees collected for 911 to other purposes.” That's as expected (see 2009230046).

CTIA sought reconsideration of rules and timelines approved by FCC commissioners in July for finding the vertical location of wireless callers to 911 (see 2007160055). The order affirms the 2021 and 2023 z-axis requirements and rejects a proposal to weaken them. The order recognized “the COVID-19 pandemic could impact the testing and deployment of 9-1-1 location accuracy solutions, but no one anticipated today’s challenges,” said Monday's petition in docket 07-114. “These changed circumstances have derailed the prospects for achieving the [order’s] timelines,” the group said: “Recently adopted and evolving government restrictions and building access limitations have delayed testing necessary.”

Washington, D.C.’s 911 audit will test if “specific incidents add up to a larger picture” of systemic dispatching problems at the Office of Unified Communications, city Auditor Kathy Patterson said in a Friday interview. After the Office of D.C. Auditor (ODCA) released a request for proposals Thursday (see 2009240066), OUC and D.C. Council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chairman Charles Allen (D) welcomed an audit. They offered some defenses for local 911 personnel.

Senate Communications Subcommittee members intermingled questions about FirstNet’s progress during a Thursday hearing with forays into how broader communications policy could affect the public safety broadband network. Subcommittee Chairman John Thune R-S.D., and others at times focused on whether legislation to further streamline permitting processes would aid FirstNet’s deployment. FirstNet CEO Edward Parkinson and AT&T Senior Vice President-FirstNet Program Jason Porter highlighted their progress in building the network and expressed willingness to carry out GAO recommendations that it improve communications with stakeholders (see 2009170071).