More than three years after a 6 GHz Further NPRM was approved in April 2020 (see 2004230059), the FCC hasn't acted. Speculation in 2020 was that the agency could act before the end of the Trump administration (see 2012180057). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit largely upheld the 2020 6 GHz order 18 months ago (see 2112280047).
The FCC’s administration of its affordable connectivity program and other broadband initiatives won’t be the sole focus of a Wednesday House Communications Subcommittee hearing with commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel and other commissioners, but it’s likely to be the item with the most bearing on future policymaking, observers said in interviews. The panel is happening a day before two of the commissioners -- Republican Brendan Carr and Democrat Geoffrey Starks -- appear before the Senate Commerce Committee for a joint confirmation hearing with new FCC nominee Anna Gomez (see 2306150068). The House Communications hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
The FCC is getting more aggressive on data and cybersecurity, with Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday announcing a July 31 hearing on improving the security of the border gateway protocol (BGP). Rosenworcel also said she circulated a notice of inquiry for a commissioner vote about how broadband providers use data caps as part of subscriber plans. Earlier in the week, Rosenworcel said the FCC was taking a closer look at data privacy, launching a Privacy and Data Protection Task Force (see 230615004).
The FCC’s final 42 GHz NPRM, released Friday, got few changes from the draft proposed by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, as expected (see 2306020048). Commissioners approved the 42 GHz item 4-0 Thursday (see 2306080042). The final version of the next-generation 911 NPRM adds numerous questions to the draft and got the most tweaks among the items approved Thursday. No major changes were made to the final NPRM on robocalls and robotexts, which were also approved unanimously (see 2306080043).
The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) remains concerned about harmful interference in the 6 GHz band and asked the FCC to take steps asked for by APCO and others (see 2304030032) to protect band incumbents, said a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “In MCCA member cities,” the band “supports radio towers, emergency communications centers, and cross-jurisdictional communications,” MCCA said: “Given the importance of these functions, the FCC must ensure that the operations of public safety entities and other incumbent users of the 6 GHz band are adequately protected from potential interference stemming from unlicensed use of the spectrum.”
The FCC approved 4-0 NPRMs on expediting the transition to next-generation 911 and giving consumers more choice on the robocalls and robotexts they’ll receive (see 2305180069). Both were approved with limited comments from commissioners.
The Senate Commerce Committee’s plan for moving on President Joe Biden’s trio of FCC nominees remains fluid amid uncertainty about whether there will be bipartisan appetite to move Anna Gomez, the White House’s new nominee for the vacant fifth commission seat, together with sitting Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks (see 2305220065). Gomez told members of the U.S. delegation to the upcoming Nov. 20-Dec. 15 World Radiocommunication Conference last week she plans to stay in her existing State Department appointment to lead the group (see 2301260072) until the Senate confirms her as a commissioner.
The FCC released the second iteration of its new broadband availability maps Tuesday, showing more than 8.3 million homes and businesses lack access to high-speed broadband. It also shows a net increase of more than 1 million new serviceable locations from the initial map. It's "the most accurate depiction of broadband availability in the FCC’s history," NTIA said in a blog. The agency will rely on the maps for its broadband, equity, access and deployment program allocations.
FCC commissioners approved a multipart item on the lower and upper parts of the 12 GHz band 4-0 during Thursday's open meeting. FCC officials said a few questions were added, but there were no major changes from the draft (see 2305170039).
The GOP leads on the House and Senate Communications subcommittees were noncommittal in interviews before a Wednesday House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing about what kind of modifications they would like for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program. Current estimates peg ACP as likely to exhaust the initial $14.2 billion in funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the first half of 2024, perhaps as early as Q1. The Commerce Oversight hearing highlighted partisan fault lines over how much Congress should modify the existing federal broadband funding apparatus.