The FCC Public Safety Bureau seeks comment on communications service outages caused by Hurricane Michael and the FCC’s response, said a public notice Friday. With 36 questions on several areas of focus, comments are due Dec. 17. The PN seeks comment on how service providers, 911 call centers and broadcasters prepared for and responded to the hurricane, and how FCC actions affected matters. The PN specifies areas of Florida that were slower to have their service restored, an issue previously highlighted by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1810160056). “While the restoration of communications services in most areas affected by Michael proceeded at a normal speed, the recovery was much slower in Bay County and Gulf County,” the PN said. “One week after Michael made landfall, more than one-third of cell sites in those two counties were still out of service.” The PN asks if service providers implemented best practices, and for details about fiber cuts, and the wireless resiliency cooperative framework. The PN seeks comment on how the storm affected public safety answering points, and whether wireless and broadcast emergency alerts were effective. It asks about the agency’s use of the disaster information reporting system during the storm: “What DIRS information proved most useful to first responders? Are there extraneous or unnecessary data points contained in DIRS that detract from its overall usefulness?” Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel previously sought hearings on the FCC’s hurricane response, and said in a statement that the PN is a good start, though not enough by itself. “Seeking comment is a correct first step,” Rosenworcel said. “We also need for the FCC to make a commitment to do a timely report. It took a year for this agency to issue a report on the 2017 hurricane season. That’s unacceptable,” she said. “We have to do better.” The FCC didn’t comment on that.
The FCC revised rules for wireless handset hearing-aid compatibility, replacing annual service provider reporting with certification and enhanced website disclosure duties. Commissioners unanimously approved an order containing some tweaks to a draft, as expected (see 1811090041). Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said more changes should have been made to certification details that appear impractical.
The FCC revised rules for wireless handset hearing-aid compatibility, replacing annual service provider reporting with certification and enhanced website disclosure duties. Commissioners unanimously approved an order containing some tweaks to a draft, as expected (see 1811090041). Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said more changes should have been made to certification details that appear impractical.
Commissioners split on the FCC's role in orbital safety and congestion issues caused by the satellite mega constellation boom and growth of new satellites, but agreed there's a problem. Approving the orbital debris NPRM Thursday, Jessica Rosenworcel and Mike O’Rielly described parts as “timid.” Rosenworcel and Commissioner Brendan Carr staked out different stances on the agency's role and authority on tackling orbital debris. At the meeting, which included a variety of space-related items, members voted 4-0 to update wireless handset hearing-aid compatibility rules (see 1811150033).
The National Multifamily Housing Council lobbied FCC leadership, calling the apartment industry "very competitive," with "owners keenly aware" of the need to provide modern communications services for residents. "This debate is really about whether the commission should help a handful of potential competitors carve up the high end of the market," said NMHC on meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai, Brendan Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel and aides, posted Tuesday in docket 17-91 (here, here and here). "Providers control the market. There is a lack of competition in the market today, but it is in the smaller, less lucrative buildings that competitive providers choose not to serve." NMHC backed a petition to pre-empt a San Francisco code that requires multi-tenant buildings let occupants request access to competing providers (see 1612150006). It opposed further FCC steps toward regulation from a multiple tenant environment inquiry (see 1706220036) and Article 8 of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee's proposed Model State Act (see 1807270020), which it said "would force the rental apartment industry to subsidize" broadband deployment. In a USTelecom forbearance proceeding, Incompas pressed the FCC to keep discounted wholesale unbundled network elements, which it said facilitate fiber networks that assist 5G. An enhanced satellite image of San Francisco showing fiber deployments by Zayo in business districts and Sonic Telecom in residential areas -- with Sonic crediting UNEs "as a stepping stone" -- illustrates the potential for competitive "fiber rich networks for fronthauling of small cells in residential areas," wrote Incompas on meeting a Pai aide, in docket 18-141.
The National Multifamily Housing Council lobbied FCC leadership, calling the apartment industry "very competitive," with "owners keenly aware" of the need to provide modern communications services for residents. "This debate is really about whether the commission should help a handful of potential competitors carve up the high end of the market," said NMHC on meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai, Brendan Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel and aides, posted Tuesday in docket 17-91 (here, here and here). "Providers control the market. There is a lack of competition in the market today, but it is in the smaller, less lucrative buildings that competitive providers choose not to serve." NMHC backed a petition to pre-empt a San Francisco code that requires multi-tenant buildings let occupants request access to competing providers (see 1612150006). It opposed further FCC steps toward regulation from a multiple tenant environment inquiry (see 1706220036) and Article 8 of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee's proposed Model State Act (see 1807270020), which it said "would force the rental apartment industry to subsidize" broadband deployment. In a USTelecom forbearance proceeding, Incompas pressed the FCC to keep discounted wholesale unbundled network elements, which it said facilitate fiber networks that assist 5G. An enhanced satellite image of San Francisco showing fiber deployments by Zayo in business districts and Sonic Telecom in residential areas -- with Sonic crediting UNEs "as a stepping stone" -- illustrates the potential for competitive "fiber rich networks for fronthauling of small cells in residential areas," wrote Incompas on meeting a Pai aide, in docket 18-141.
The FCC has rarely held multiple spectrum auctions at once, but it’s not clear what industry wants the agency to do, Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale said at an FCBA lunch Wednesday. Meanwhile, the FCC started its first millimeter-wave auction, with bids coming in at just under $41.7 million after two rounds. It reported provisionally winning bids on 2,065 of the 3,072 28 GHz licenses for sale in the auction. The FCC plans three rounds Thursday, starting at 10 a.m.
The Florida Public Service Commission pressed the FCC to take "necessary actions" before transferring oversight of IP captioned telephone service to state telecom relay service programs. "Provide detailed cost information regarding IP CTS usage by state and address existing waste and abuse," recommended the FPSC, posted Friday in docket 13-24. "Provide sufficient transition time, which would be necessary for Florida to consider state statutory revisions and implement a sufficient funding mechanism." Provider ClearCaptions sought "alternatives for compensation rates for IP CTS currently being considered" under a Further NPRM, in a meeting with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The company proposes a "multi-tiered rate structure to compensate IP CTS providers in lieu of rate proposals offering a single rate for all." It met Commissioner Brendan Carr and aides to Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, and with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Patrick Webre.
The Florida Public Service Commission pressed the FCC to take "necessary actions" before transferring oversight of IP captioned telephone service to state telecom relay service programs. "Provide detailed cost information regarding IP CTS usage by state and address existing waste and abuse," recommended the FPSC, posted Friday in docket 13-24. "Provide sufficient transition time, which would be necessary for Florida to consider state statutory revisions and implement a sufficient funding mechanism." Provider ClearCaptions sought "alternatives for compensation rates for IP CTS currently being considered" under a Further NPRM, in a meeting with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The company proposes a "multi-tiered rate structure to compensate IP CTS providers in lieu of rate proposals offering a single rate for all." It met Commissioner Brendan Carr and aides to Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, and with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Patrick Webre.
Experts see the FCC orbital debris rules re-examination, on Nov. 15's tentative agenda, as a good start in facing increased worries about space junk. It may be a long process. Given complexity of debris mitigation, "these changes in the rules are not likely to result in a sudden sea change," emailed P.J. Blount, University of Mississippi air and space law adjunct professor.