The Trump administration is developing a national spectrum strategy, NTIA Administrator David Redl said at a Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday. The Obama administration took an active role on spectrum policy, promoting sharing over exclusive use licenses in many cases, but the Trump administration has been relatively quiet (see 1712270032). Redl said NTIA is working with the administration on a plan. FCC and industry officials welcomed the administration’s long-awaited deep dive.
The Trump administration is developing a national spectrum strategy, NTIA Administrator David Redl said at a Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday. The Obama administration took an active role on spectrum policy, promoting sharing over exclusive use licenses in many cases, but the Trump administration has been relatively quiet (see 1712270032). Redl said NTIA is working with the administration on a plan. FCC and industry officials welcomed the administration’s long-awaited deep dive.
The FCC unanimously approved rural calling and business data service items at its commissioners' meeting Tuesday. An order and Further NPRM seek to improve rural call completion (RCC) by making originating long-distance providers accountable for intermediate carrier performance and by launching a rulemaking to implement a new rural call quality law. A separate NPRM looks at allowing certain rural telcos to shift their BDS offerings from rate-of-return regulation to incentive-based price caps. Commissioners cited some changes made to drafts (here and here) circulated by Chairman Ajit Pai (see 1803280046). Commissioner Mike O'Rielly again backed an extended jurisdictional separations freeze (see 1802230019).
Dissents from the two FCC Democrats appear unlikely when commissioners vote Tuesday on an NPRM proposing to bar use of money in any USF program to buy equipment or services from companies that “pose a national security threat” to U.S. communications networks or the communications supply chain. Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel appear unlikely to dissent, despite concerns raised by small carriers, industry and agency officials said.
The FCC unanimously voted to combine the Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test Reporting System with an online filing system for state EAS plans, said an order released Tuesday in docket 15-94. The new system, called the Alert Reporting System (ARS), will “improve the mechanics of filing state plans at this agency” and “is a step forward,” said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement released with the order. ARS will replace paper filing requirements, lower the burdens on State Emergency Communications Committees and make it easier for entities such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency to access state plans, the order said. The ARS order also requires state EAS plans to be more uniform to make them easier to access and upload to an online system. “State EAS Plans currently lack consistent structure and content,” the order said. “An online filing system using uniform and consistent terminology will facilitate the input, analysis, and related uses of the Plan information.” A lack of uniformity among state EAS plans complicated the results of the first nationwide EAS test, the order said. Rosenworcel praised the order for giving EAS “some needed care and attention” but said it doesn't go far enough. “The FCC can do more by acting as a convening force to report and incentivize best practices for emergency alerting,” Rosenworcel said. She also said the agency should address other outstanding EAS issues such as false alerts “with dispatch.” After “the false emergency alert earlier this year in Hawaii, this work should be our priority,” Rosenworcel said.
Senate Communications Subcommittee member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and other members of the Hawaii congressional delegation during a Thursday field hearing touted a set of bills they say are aimed at addressing issues with the emergency alert system highlighted during a January false alarm about a possible ballistic missile headed for the state (see 1801160054 and 1803160042).
A planned Thursday Senate Commerce Committee field hearing on the January false alarm about a possible ballistic missile headed for Hawaii (see 1801160054 and 1803160042) is aimed as much at shaping legislation to address issues with the emergency alert system (EAS) highlighted in the incident as it is at answering lingering questions about the event, lawmakers and others told us. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. at the East-West Center’s Keoni Auditorium in Honolulu.
In its approval last week of SpaceX's planned mega constellation of 4,425 satellites, the FCC voiced concerns about the increasing orbital debris issues from the expected proliferation of smallsats. And orbital debris and satellite experts said they expect the agency could look at requiring significantly shorter de-orbiting windows for non-geostationary satellites as it considers an orbital debris NPRM (see 1801160030). The FCC didn't comment. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is pushing the agency for a comprehensive orbital debris and collision policy.
In its approval last week of SpaceX's planned mega constellation of 4,425 satellites, the FCC voiced concerns about the increasing orbital debris issues from the expected proliferation of smallsats. And orbital debris and satellite experts said they expect the agency could look at requiring significantly shorter de-orbiting windows for non-geostationary satellites as it considers an orbital debris NPRM (see 1801160030). The FCC didn't comment. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is pushing the agency for a comprehensive orbital debris and collision policy.
The FCC took USF actions and made proposals intended to help rural telcos provide broadband-oriented service and to improve high-cost subsidy program operations. Dissenting Democrats said their requests for changes to an NPRM went unheeded. Chairman Ajit Pai said the minority members waited too long to make their suggestions, a charge they denied. The commission Friday released two orders and a notice (here) that provide up to $545 million in additional support to rate-of-return carriers, flesh out expense and investment cost-recovery restrictions, and aim to examine the rural USF budget and a possible tribal broadband factor. The item appears largely consistent with a draft (see 1801160040 and 1801170048).