The FCC Wireless Bureau on Thursday reminded 700 MHz guard band licensees and 220 MHz band managers that they must file annual reports on or before March 1. “Licensees must provide information about the manner in which the spectrum in each of their markets is being utilized,” the bureau said: It should “accurately convey the current level of service being offered in each licensed area, including information regarding coverage provided by Licensees’ operations and any spectrum lease agreements.”
The FCC appointed Commissioners Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service and Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations, according to an order Thursday in docket 96-45. Both commissioners are members of the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services. Gomez was appointed chair of the universal service joint board and advanced series joint conference. Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will continue to serve as the chair of the separations board.
Service providers must comply with the FCC's permanent disconnection reporting rule for the reassigned numbers database even if they don't have "permanent disconnections to disclose," the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said in a public notice Thursday in docket 17-59. Providers must submit monthly reports on permanent disconnections of numbers assigned to them.
The FCC on Thursday asked for applications by Feb. 12 to serve on the FCC’s World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (WAC) for the 2027 WRC. The WAC coordinates industry positions as the U.S. prepares for the conference. “The Commission seeks applications from interested organizations, institutions, or other entities from both the public and private sectors that wish to be considered for membership on the Committee,” the FCC said: “Selections will be based on factors such as expertise and diversity of viewpoints that are necessary to address effectively the questions before the Committee.”
FCC commissioners unanimously approved an order Thursday requiring carriers to implement location-based routing (LBR) for calls and real-time texts to 911 within six months of when the rules become effective for nationwide providers and 24 months for small providers.
Wireless carriers in comments this week condemned a “dynamic approach” to data and other proposals for California’s low-income program. The California Public Utilities Commission received feedback Wednesday on an Oct. 30 staff proposal for setting California LifeLine specific support amounts (SSA) and minimum service standards (MSS). Some urged the CPUC to tap the brakes, especially with uncertainty about continued funding for the federal affordable connectivity program (ACP).
The FCC will continue updating Congress about the affordable connectivity program's status in hopes of convincing lawmakers for money to keep it running, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told reporters Thursday after the commissioners’ open meeting (see 2401250064). The FCC expects the initiative will exhaust its $14.2 billion allocation in April. The Wireline Bureau said earlier this month it would freeze new enrollments Feb. 8 as part of the program's wind-down process (see 2401110072).
The FCC released draft items set for votes at the commissioners' Feb. 15 open meeting, including an NPRM aimed at simplifying the process for alert originators to send multilingual emergency alerts over TV and radio. Also released Thursday was a second draft item that codifies some robocall rules while asking about applying protections in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to robocalls and robotexts from wireless carriers to their own subscribers.
The FCC unanimously approved all its agenda items at Thursday's open meeting, including orders on mandatory outage reporting, mitigating orbital debris and misrouted 911 calls. The agency also announced millions of dollars in proposed pirate radio fines and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel commented on former President Donald Trump's remarks about revoking the “licenses” of CNN and NBC over their coverage of him (see 2401170050). “The First Amendment is something we take seriously and I take seriously,” Rosenworcel said. Commissioner Brendan Carr declined comment on the former president's remarks.
Public Knowledge hires Stephen Bennett, ex-Institute for Palestine Studies-USA, as director-development and external affairs; Alisa Valentin, ex-National Urban League and ex-FCC, as broadband policy director; Nat Purser, former Center for Economic and Policy Research, as government affairs policy advocate; and Georgetown Law Communications and Technology Law Clinic’s Lauren Harriman as fellow … Free State Foundation announces former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly as adjunct senior fellow, launching video podcast, TMT With Mike O’Rielly.