A three-hour FCC oversight hearing before the House Communications Subcommittee Tuesday became tangled in questions of FCC process and how commissioners can discuss items pending at the commission. Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., helped trigger what became a fierce debate with his questioning. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., raised the same issues in the last week (see 1603210052).
The departure at month's end of FTC Commissioner Julie Brill, described as an influential and staunch privacy and consumer protection advocate with international standing, may rejuvenate political will behind giving the agency its full five members, privacy lawyers said in interviews Tuesday. Brill will join Hogan Lovells as a partner and co-director of the privacy and cybersecurity practice. There will be two open seats -- one Democratic and one Republican -- which some said might spur the Obama administration and Senate to act on nominations
The FCC is poised to modernize the Lifeline program for the broadband era later this month, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said last week at a CUE16 meeting in Palm Springs, California, according to a written remarks posted on the agency's website Monday. "When we do, we need to make sure that the program is updated to support broadband -- and allow participants to choose between applying support to either voice or broadband service," she said. "This simple change would both update the program and help bring more broadband to low-income households with school-aged children. But if we care about narrowing the Homework Gap, we can’t stop there. Our Lifeline modernization must make sure that the devices used for Lifeline services are able to access Wi-Fi signals and that those devices can even be turned into Wi-Fi hotspots. Moreover, as we update Lifeline, we should make sure that we are doing everything that we can to make eligible families with school-aged children aware of the program." Rosenworcel also backed taking steps in other proceedings to create more Wi-Fi capacity. Meanwhile, parties continued to lobby the FCC in the Lifeline proceeding in docket 11-42. "Minimum standards should not inadvertently force low-income consumers to choose between a broadband service that is unaffordable despite the program discount or no broadband at all," said a filing posted Monday by NTCA and WTA on their meeting with FCC staffers, including aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler. "Such an issue could arise to the extent that low-income consumers are precluded from choosing to purchase a broadband speed offered by their provider that is more in line with their personal budget. As merely one example, a 10/1 Mbps speed standard -- should one be adopted -- should not preclude a Lifeline subscriber from making the affirmative choice to purchase a 4/1 Mbps broadband service that costs less and is more affordable for that individual low-income consumer," the rural telco groups said. In a letter, Consumer Action said it has concerns about completely phasing out Lifeline support for standalone wireless voice service, preferring to create tiered subsidies with lower amounts for standalone voice and higher amounts for bundled voice/broadband.
The FCC is poised to modernize the Lifeline program for the broadband era later this month, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said last week at a CUE16 meeting in Palm Springs, California, according to a written remarks posted on the agency's website Monday. "When we do, we need to make sure that the program is updated to support broadband -- and allow participants to choose between applying support to either voice or broadband service," she said. "This simple change would both update the program and help bring more broadband to low-income households with school-aged children. But if we care about narrowing the Homework Gap, we can’t stop there. Our Lifeline modernization must make sure that the devices used for Lifeline services are able to access Wi-Fi signals and that those devices can even be turned into Wi-Fi hotspots. Moreover, as we update Lifeline, we should make sure that we are doing everything that we can to make eligible families with school-aged children aware of the program." Rosenworcel also backed taking steps in other proceedings to create more Wi-Fi capacity. Meanwhile, parties continued to lobby the FCC in the Lifeline proceeding in docket 11-42. "Minimum standards should not inadvertently force low-income consumers to choose between a broadband service that is unaffordable despite the program discount or no broadband at all," said a filing posted Monday by NTCA and WTA on their meeting with FCC staffers, including aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler. "Such an issue could arise to the extent that low-income consumers are precluded from choosing to purchase a broadband speed offered by their provider that is more in line with their personal budget. As merely one example, a 10/1 Mbps speed standard -- should one be adopted -- should not preclude a Lifeline subscriber from making the affirmative choice to purchase a 4/1 Mbps broadband service that costs less and is more affordable for that individual low-income consumer," the rural telco groups said. In a letter, Consumer Action said it has concerns about completely phasing out Lifeline support for standalone wireless voice service, preferring to create tiered subsidies with lower amounts for standalone voice and higher amounts for bundled voice/broadband.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will tout “significant progress in our ongoing efforts to maximize the benefits of communications technology” in the four months since last testifying before the House Communications Subcommittee, according to written testimony for a Tuesday oversight hearing. He will talk about the big-ticket initiatives before the agency, from the pending broadcast TV incentive auction to his proposals to overhaul of set-top box rules, Lifeline and privacy rules for ISPs. All five commissioners will testify. The hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will tout “significant progress in our ongoing efforts to maximize the benefits of communications technology” in the four months since last testifying before the House Communications Subcommittee, according to written testimony for a Tuesday oversight hearing. He will talk about the big-ticket initiatives before the agency, from the pending broadcast TV incentive auction to his proposals to overhaul of set-top box rules, Lifeline and privacy rules for ISPs. All five commissioners will testify. The hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
AT&T has filed for more than a dozen patents on 5G technologies and is “in the throes” of making 5G work, Bill Smith, president of AT&T network operations, said at a Jeffries financial conference Tuesday. “It’s the next exciting step in our technology,” he said. But Smith conceded “the reality is” that standards won’t be in place until “probably 2018” and large-scale commercial rollouts are unlikely before 2020. “We’ll be on top of that,” he said. “The minute it’s commercially viable we’ll be deploying.” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel also spoke about 5G in her remarks to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, posted by the FCC Tuesday.
AT&T has filed for more than a dozen patents on 5G technologies and is “in the throes” of making 5G work, Bill Smith, president of AT&T network operations, said at a Jeffries financial conference Tuesday. “It’s the next exciting step in our technology,” he said. But Smith conceded “the reality is” that standards won’t be in place until “probably 2018” and large-scale commercial rollouts are unlikely before 2020. “We’ll be on top of that,” he said. “The minute it’s commercially viable we’ll be deploying.” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel also spoke about 5G in her remarks to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, posted by the FCC Tuesday.
AT&T has filed for more than a dozen patents on 5G technologies and is “in the throes” of making 5G work, Bill Smith, president of AT&T network operations, said at a Jeffries financial conference Tuesday. “It’s the next exciting step in our technology,” he said. But Smith conceded “the reality is” that standards won’t be in place until “probably 2018” and large-scale commercial rollouts are unlikely before 2020. “We’ll be on top of that,” he said. “The minute it’s commercially viable we’ll be deploying.” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel also spoke about 5G in her remarks to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, posted by the FCC Tuesday.
The FCC voted 3-2 Thursday to launch a rulemaking (see 1602160072) seeking comment on numerous changes to set-top box rules intended to make it easier for third parties to build and sell retail set tops that can access pay-TV content. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly as expected (see 1601280066) opposed the proposal, which they said was “slanted” and an unnecessary regulatory intrusion. “I’m confident that most consumers would rather eliminate the set-top box altogether,” Pai said.