Representatives of the Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure (CERCI) raised legal concerns with staff from the FCC Office of General Counsel about the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance's support for giving the FirstNet Authority (FNA) control of the 4.9 GHz band (see 2401190067). “The legal merits of the PSSA’s plan are not a close call,” a filing posted Wednesday in docket 07-100 said. The FCC “clearly lacks authority to assign" the FNA the 4.9 GHz band and the FNA “clearly lacks authority to receive it,” CERCI said.
The FCC on Wednesday authorized Federated Wireless, Google, Key Bridge, Red Technologies and Sony to change the aggregate interference model that protects federal operations in the citizens broadband radio service band. In June, the agency approved the changes (see 2406120027). "Each of these five [spectrum access system] administrators has demonstrated the ability to successfully implement the modified aggregate interference model, including system testing in a non-operational environment,” a Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology notice said. Meanwhile, Nokia filed a spectrum controller certification test report at the FCC as it seeks permission to make those changes. In addition, Nokia asked for confidential treatment of the report. The report “provides details of the self-certification testing Nokia conducted to demonstrate the capability of Nokia’s Spectrum Access System to support new methodologies for protecting federal operations in the 3.5 GHz band,” a filing this week in docket 15-319 said. Nokia asked for prompt FCC action.
The FCC is seeking comment on NPRMs dealing with updates for letter of credit (LOC) rules, the commission said Wednesday (see 2406060028) in a notice for Monday's Federal Register. The NPRMs include modifying LOC rules for the FCC's USF high-cost programs in rural communities, for Connect America Fund Phase II support recipients, and for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support recipients. Specifically, the FCC wants comments on changing the rules governing which U.S. banks can issue LOCs and potentially allowing certain RDOF recipients to lower the value of their LOC. Comments are due Aug. 5, replies Aug. 19.
The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday it expects the FCC would need $4 million to implement the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (HR-820) in fiscal years 2024-2029. HR-820 would require the agency to publish a list of communications companies holding FCC licenses or other authorizations in which China and other foreign adversaries’ governments possess 10% or more ownership. The House Commerce Committee advanced the measure in March (see 2403200076). The FCC “would need five employees, at an annual cost of $200,000 per employee, for the first two years, to review existing grants of authority, and two employees after 2026 to review new applications and changes in ownership,” CBO said. “However, because the FCC is authorized to collect fees each year sufficient to offset the appropriated costs of its regulatory activities, CBO estimates that the net cost to the FCC would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority.”
Following court directions, the FCC filed at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday “a certified list of items constituting the record of Commission proceedings” related to the net neutrality order in docket 24-7000. The 6th Circuit last week declined to transfer the case to the D.C. Circuit as the FCC requested (see 2406280060). The list runs more than 1,100 pages and includes comments filed starting in 2020.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency should narrow the scope of its proposed cyber incident reporting rules to ease the regulatory burden on industries already facing a multitude of state and federal mandates, USTelecom, NTCA and Microsoft said in comments that were due Wednesday in docket CISA-2022-0010 (see 2403270070).
The FCC’s reinstatement of the radio non-duplication rule for FM stations takes effect Aug. 2, said a Federal Register notice for Wednesday. The rule will prevent commonly owned, same-market FM radio stations from duplicating content beyond a 25% threshold. In 2020, the previous FCC dropped the rule for FM and AM stations, but the current commission reinstated it in response to a petition from REC Networks, the musicFIRST Coalition and the Future of Music Coalition.
GCI Communications said “new terrestrial middle mile facilities" are "commercially available in areas previously served only by performance-limiting satellite middle mile.” The information was contained in GCI's FCC update about its performance plan for mobile services under the Alaska Plan. GCI posted a filing Tuesday in docket 16-271.
In light of Hurricane Beryl, Federated Wireless asked the FCC for a waiver of rules that require environmental sensing capability systems to protect federal incumbents in the citizens broadband radio service band from harmful interference. The waiver is for markets in Puerto Rico. Beryl is expected to pass about 200 miles south of Puerto Rico “bringing with it intense winds and rainfall that could cause widespread power outages,” Federated said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 15-319. “If such outages occur, the Impacted Systems will lose commercial power and be unable to operate normally,” the company said: “Backhaul at the impacted sites will also likely be unreliable while carriers attempt to stabilize their operations.”
The FCC Enforcement Bureau found that Assurance Wireless and its parent T-Mobile didn't ensure its Lifeline service “is accessible to and usable by individuals with vision disabilities.” The bureau investigated following an informal complaint, a Tuesday order said. The bureau proposed several remedies and gave Assurance 30 days to comment.