Six weeks into her FCC acting chairmanship, Mignon Clyburn is under pressure by small carriers to move forward on rules requiring device interoperability in the lower 700 MHz band. Following last week’s FCC meeting, Clyburn was noncommittal, saying during a press conference she hoped industry could still work out its differences and agree on a solution.
The order (http://fcc.us/1aRpmpa) makes several changes to Form 477 that the agency says will “streamline” reporting, reducing the burden on carriers and ISPs. It eliminates the requirement to file speed data in tiers; collects mobile coverage information using a standard geographic information system software format; and seeks mobile broadband deployment data by technology, minimum advertised speed, and spectrum band. As expected (CD June 7 p16) the order creates a uniform format for the collection of broadband deployment data, replacing the current separate state-by-state collections under different methodologies.
The FCC approved by a 3-0 vote Thursday a report and order moving the FCC toward an auction of H-block spectrum, 10 MHz of already cleared paired spectrum at 1915-1920 MHz and 1995-2000 MHz. The H-block auction is expected to be the first in which the federal government will collect money to pay the $7 billion costs of launching FirstNet, the national wireless network for public safety. The money must come from auction proceeds, though not necessarily the incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum.
"In taking on things this monumental, it is always better to have a full complement of commissioners, but I believe we have a mandate from Congress and cannot delay,” Rosenworcel said. “We need to make progress. We need to move forward.” Rosenworcel said the FCC should hold a series of public hearings on the auction and reach out to every broadcaster in the top 30 markets nationwide. “That is where our mobile broadband needs are greatest,” she said.
FCC acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn is set to meet with officials from both Canada and Mexico to discuss international ramifications of the incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum, officials said Thursday. Clyburn has meetings scheduled in Ottawa next week at an ITU symposium, officials said. Commissioners got an update from its Incentive Auction Task Force on the latest developments on the auction, from Gary Epstein, head of the task force. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged the FCC to take the steps it can before Tom Wheeler is confirmed as chairman, ultimately replacing Clyburn.
The Obama administration is committing $100 million to spectrum sharing and pushing cooperation between federal agencies and industry, almost a year after the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST) recommended the White House shift its focus from exclusive-use spectrum to sharing (CD July 23 p1). Until now, the White House had been generally supportive of sharing, but hadn’t released a presidential memorandum in reaction to the PCAST report. The White House also issued a paper making the argument that the administration is making progress on broadband deployment (http://1.usa.gov/11NlwJI).
President Barack Obama urged the FCC Thursday to make high-speed Internet available to enough schools and libraries to connect 99 percent of American students. Obama wants the commission to meet that goal within five years, which will require modernization of its existing E-rate program, the White House said. “We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” Obama said, calling this a “challenge” that businesses, schools and governments can rally around.
Under the proposal, the schools and libraries would be connected through broadband of at least 100 Mbps, with a target of 1 Gbps. Obama said the FCC should “modernize and leverage the existing E-Rate program, and leverage the expertise of [NTIA] to deliver this connectivity to states, districts, and schools,” according to a fact sheet put out by the White House (http://1.usa.gov/10TwH3Q).
HERSHEY, Pa. -- The “bad guys” are winning the war against U.S. cyber defenses, telecom lawyers were told Friday at the FCBA retreat. If lawmakers don’t step up their game, some experts said they fear the results could be as disastrous as aiming a ballistic missile at America. Some panelists said the February executive order (CD Feb 14 p1) to strengthen defenses was intended to spur cybersecurity legislation.
In what might be a first for a major national conference, next week’s CTIA show in Las Vegas will not be attended by any key FCC staff beyond the three commissioners and their aides. With the sequester putting more pressure on federal spending, top FCC officials who usually go won’t this year. FCBA isn’t as lucky. None of the FCC staff will be attending its annual seminar this weekend in Hershey, Pa., because of timing issues and budget cutbacks, we are told.