5G for 12 GHz Coalition leaders told reporters Thursday they still expect the FCC to act soon on changing the rules for the 12.2-12.7 band to allow two-way use for 5G. The officials hope the FCC will also soon approve a grant of special temporary authority allowing real-world tests. They noted the coalition now includes 38 companies and organizations.
The FCC should act now to ensure the Universal Service Fund remains sustainable once programs funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are fully implemented, panelists said during a Broadband Breakfast webinar Wednesday. Some disagreed about whether the FCC should expand the contribution base to include broadband internet access service (BIAS) or wait for Congressional action.
Industry and state regulators disagreed on whether the FCC should grant Midcontinent's petition for declaratory ruling on rules for obtaining local interconnection. Reply comments were posted Monday in docket 22-277 (see 2207200050). Midcontinent asked the FCC to affirm that, under its Time Warner and CRC Communications rulings, that any telecom carrier is "entitled to interconnection for the purpose of providing wholesale local interconnection services."
National industry groups plan monthly webinars for states about the NTIA’s broadband equity, access and development (BEAD) program starting next week, the Fiber Broadband Association said Wednesday. The hosting associations are ACA Connects, the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, FBA, Incompas, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, NCTA, NTCA, USTelecom and the Wireless Infrastructure Association. The first 30-minute webinar is on supply chain and will be Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. “Our primary goal is to make it as easy and efficient as possible to navigate through the BEAD program’s requirements and potential deployment challenges,” the associations said.
National industry groups plan monthly webinars for states about the NTIA’s broadband equity, access and development (BEAD) program starting next week, the Fiber Broadband Association said Wednesday. The hosting associations are ACA Connects, the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, FBA, Incompas, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, NCTA, NTCA, USTelecom and the Wireless Infrastructure Association. The first 30-minute webinar is on supply chain and will be Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. “Our primary goal is to make it as easy and efficient as possible to navigate through the BEAD program’s requirements and potential deployment challenges,” the associations said.
The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee approved a report on robotexts Tuesday, during what is scheduled to be the last meeting of the group's current iteration. The vote was unanimous with only AARP abstaining. AARP didn’t comment on why it abstained. The committee turned down an Incompas amendment on the difficulty some public interest groups are reporting gaining access to 10-digit long codes (10DLCs) (see 2208160054). CAC meetings have been virtual since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Industry continued to disagree whether the FCC should revisit its cost allocation framework for utility pole replacements or attachments, in reply comments posted Monday in docket 17-84 (see 2206280066). Central to the debate was whether pole owners directly benefit from pole replacements and how much information owners should be required to disclose to requesting attachers.
Industry disagreed whether the FCC should impose additional requirements on certain voice service providers to combat illegal robocalls (see 2207150053). Some agreed with a proposal to impose additional measures on intermediate providers, in comments posted Thursday in docket 17-97. Others sought flexibility as providers continue to implement Stir/Shaken caller ID authentication.
The FCC’s report to Congress on the future of the USF, released Monday (see 2208150048), contained more questions than answers, industry experts said Tuesday. The 65-page report has few broad conclusions on the future of USF, declining to adopt competition as a separate goal or to set a separate deployment goal targeting mobile broadband. It weighs against assessing a fee based on broadband internet access service (BIAS).
Industry officials welcomed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s announcement that the commission is considering a notice of inquiry proposing to update the national broadband standard from 25/3 Mbps to 100/20 Mbps (see 2207150065). Some said the proposed increase may show an even greater number of unserved or underserved households throughout the country.