The FCC will take up cable leased access rules and an NPRM on aviation safety, in addition to the declaratory ruling and Further NPRM on robocalls (see 1905150041), Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday. The FCC isn’t slated to tackle the 2.5 GHz educational broadcast service (EBS) band or a notice on the 5.9 GHz band, as some had expected (see 1905130054 and 1905140050). "We’ve certainly had monthly meetings with more items on the agenda, but with a major item to crack down on unwanted robocalls, this could be one of our most impactful meetings of the year," Pai said.
House Communications Subcommittee Democrats criticized FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on a range of actions during a Tuesday hearing. That fulfilled expectations House Commerce Committee's oversight of the majority-GOP commission would be more critical since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber (see 1905140060). Lawmakers' ire was tempered by other communications policy interests. Top House Communications members used the hearing as a venue to float legislative proposals on broadband infrastructure, C-band spectrum reallocation and 911 fee diversion.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Wednesday he will ask commissioners to vote June 6 on a declaratory ruling allowing carriers to block unwanted calls to their customers “by default” and giving consumers the ability to block callers not on their contact list. Pai said an accompanying Further NPRM will ask how caller ID authentication standards can help with call blocking.
President Donald Trump Wednesday handed down a long-awaited executive order addressing use of technologies by foreign companies in U.S. communications networks (see 1812270037). The Commerce Department is to issue interim regulations in 150 days and will seek comment, administration officials told reporters. Speaking on condition they not be identified, they stressed that the order is “country agnostic” and doesn’t specifically address Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei or the Chinese government.
AT&T will have a “nationwide 5G footprint” by this time next year, CEO Randall Stephenson said at a JPMorgan financial conference. Adam Koeppe, Verizon senior vice president-network strategy and planning, defended the company’s first high-band 5G deployments at a MoffettNathanson conference also Tuesday.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Tuesday at the Wi-Fi World Congress the commission will soon take another look at the 5.9 GHz band. Wi-Fi backers cheered the remarks. Pai has long been expected to circulate a Further NPRM seeking comment (see 1811140061). The FNPRM could come as early as the June 6 commissioners' meeting, industry officials said.
As the FCC considers changes to its national broadband map, states are waiting to see what ramifications those changes have on their own maps. Minnesota's broadband map shares some of the same shortcomings as the FCC's Form 477-centric map, and it's worked with providers on improvements, emailed state Office of Broadband Development Executive Director Danna MacKenzie. "We will gladly give it up if and when the federal map improves and meets our needs."
House Communications Subcommittee Democrats' widely expected airing of grievances against FCC Chairman Ajit Pai at a Wednesday oversight hearing is likely to be tempered by their interest in a range of telecom policy priorities and subcommittee Republicans' bid to deflect some of their colleagues' ire, officials and lobbyists told us. The hearing, which also includes the other four commissioners, will be the subcommittee's first on oversight of the agency since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber after the November elections. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
The only media item the FCC will tackle at its June 6 commissioners’ meeting concerns cable leased access rules, meaning action on relaxing kidvid rules isn’t likely until at least July, agency and industry officials told us this week. Broadcast industry officials and child advocates expect revamped kidvid regulations this summer. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said last week he hopes “to be concluding” the kidvid proceeding “in the very near future.”
Senate Judiciary Committee leaders expressed alarm during a Tuesday hearing about the rising leadership of Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei and other Chinese government-backed entities over deployments of 5G technology overseas and the U.S.' failure thus far to halt their momentum. 5G security and related policy questions about the technology have repeatedly drawn Capitol Hill interest this year, including at a Senate Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on the FY 2020 budgets of the FCC and FTC (see 1905070072). It's also expected to come up during the House Communications Subcommittee's Wednesday FCC oversight hearing (see 1905140060).