More than a dozen state broadband associations asked the FCC for a "rural broadband provider exemption" from its proposed digital discrimination affirmative reporting obligations (see 2403050036). Such obligations would "impose additional costs and burdens without any evidence that rural providers are engaged in practices resulting in discriminatory impacts," the associations said in a filing posted Friday in docket 22-69. The record is "void of any hard data or even soft anecdotal comment to support imposition of additional reporting obligations on rural providers," the coalition said, citing the lack of evidence that smaller or rural providers engage in discriminatory practices.
Florida Power & Light urged the FCC to establish a regulatory framework for uncrewed aircraft systems by authorizing shared use in a portion of the 5030-5091 MHz band for control and non-payload communications. “Doing so would promote more efficient use of the 5 GHz band and growth of the emerging UAS industry, especially with regard to innovative use cases involving critical infrastructure industries,” the utility said in a filing posted Friday in docket 22-232. “Just as importantly, the Commission can make meaningful progress in shaping the 5 GHz band’s future while it waits for Congress to renew its spectrum auction authority,” the utility said.
The FCC Wireline Bureau on Friday extended the deadline for Gogo Business Aviation and other carriers to remove, replace and dispose of Huawei and ZTE equipment from their networks. The deadline for Gogo was extended from July 21 to Jan. 21. “Gogo states that it has encountered ongoing supply chain issues arising from high demand, material scarcity, and labor shortages, particularly in machine manufacturing, which continue to cause a lack of availability of necessary equipment and extended lead times,” the bureau said. Gogo maintains the disruptions “are particularly significant because it has aviation operations, which call for custom radio equipment, rather than off-the-shelf solutions, for both its ground infrastructure and its airborne components,” the bureau said. In addition, the bureau extended the deadline for Bluesky from April 18 to Oct. 18, for Gallatin Wireless from March 23 to Sept. 23 and for Mediacom Communications from April 15 to July 15. NE Colorado Cellular got two different extensions for parts of its network, from May 3 to Nov. 3 and from June 3 to Dec. 3.
CTIA officials, led by President Meredith Baker, urged the FCC to tweak proposed net neutrality rules to exempt network slicing and other evolving services. In a call with staff for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, CTIA questioned generally the need to impose Communications Act Title II authority as part of the rules. Proposals to “narrow or restrict” non-broadband internet access data services “would deny the benefits of new technology such as network slicing to broadband users, unduly limit wireless innovation, and undermine American leadership in the mobile economy,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 23-320. “Network slicing will allow wireless providers to offer over a single physical network a series of logically defined virtual networks configured to satisfy use cases currently under development that may include, for example, public safety communications, robotic surgery, smart grids, and communications at crowded events,” CTIA said.
Though space agencies are starting to invest in orbital debris removal, most experts believe a commercial marketplace for it is years away. "It's really interesting technology, but where is the customer?" said BryceTech analyst Nick Boensch. Companies and startups in the debris removal space anticipate a sizable commercial demand emerging; however, for now it's a government-driven market only.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appears likely to circulate proposed net neutrality rules for a vote at the commission’s April 25 meeting, which would mean releasing a draft Thursday under current commission policy. A prime motivation for moving now would be avoiding having the order overturned by a Congressional Review Act vote, should Republicans take the House and Senate in the November elections, said industry officials supporting and opposing new rules.
The FCC's proposed $1.8 million proposed forfeiture for Nexstar and sidecar operation Mission Broadcasting (see 2403220067) is "an encouraging sign to everyone that has been urging the Commission to bring an end to this media ownership shell game" that are sidecar agreements, ACA Connects Vice President-External Affairs Zamir Ahmed blogged Thursday. He said broadcasters use sidecars to "circumvent federal rules and squeeze even more money out of pay-TV subscribers." The FCC action "should be just the first step in increased oversight of sidecar agreements that overstep the law," he said.
Consumer advocacy organizations urged the FCC Thursday to "clarify ambiguities that ISPs could exploit" in its proposed net neutrality rules. The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, New America's Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, Fight for the Future, and United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry said in a letter posted Thursday in docket 23-320 that ISPs could circumvent the proposed no-throttling rule because it "does not explicitly say that an ISP can’t pick out particular apps or categories of apps in order to speed them up." The coalition asked the commission to "ensure that reasonable network management can’t be used to single out an app or kind of app," warning that ISPs could "distort competition" by throttling certain applications. In addition, it asked the commission to bar ISPs from "using interconnection to circumvent net neutrality."
Rural Wireless Association representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on questions about the proposed 5G Fund. These include speed standards and timing of the challenge process for maps. The FCC released limited details on the proposed $9 billion fund (see 2403260052). “RWA noted its members’ concerns with how certain rule changes could potentially leave legacy high-cost mobile carriers’ 5G investments in their networks stranded if they were unsuccessful in an upcoming auction,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-32. “Given the immense burden that losing legacy high-cost mobile support would put on these mobile carriers, RWA requested that the Commission include language in the to-be-adopted … Order that would allow for an extension of the two-year transition or, alternatively, a waiver of the phase out of legacy support conditioned on continued support being cost-based or determined by the auction reserve price established for the eligible area upon a showing of good cause.”
The Competitive Carriers Association warned of problems with the challenge process for broadband maps as the FCC moves forward on a 5G Fund (see 2403260052). CCA members and staff met with the FCC's Broadband Data Task Force staff. CCA noted that some carrier members “have encountered significant difficulties and failures in submitting bulk challenge data, and others believe mobile maps in their areas are inaccurate but have refrained from participating in the mobile challenge process to date to conserve resources pending more clarity regarding what data will be relevant to 5G Fund eligibility,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-32: One carrier “spent hundreds of hours over five-and-a-half months compiling drive test data that covered 11,000 miles in their footprint.” But due to formatting and technical issues with the submission portal, “the carrier was ultimately unable to submit a challenge.” In addition, CCA said other members, “particularly small carriers, have faced or soon will face similar issues, preventing valuable information from contributing to the maps, especially in rural America.” Among the companies represented were Strata Networks, Nex-Tech Wireless, Appalachian Wireless, GCI and Carolina West.