FCC Posts Drafts of Wireless 911 and FM 6 Items for June 8 Votes

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel isn’t proposing rules on improving how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders but instead is seeking a record refresh. A notice of inquiry casts a wide net on what the FCC should do to address offshore needs for spectrum. Also on tap is an NPRM on channel 6 TV stations, which primarily broadcast an audio signal receivable on FM radios. Drafts for all three were posted Wednesday, for votes at the June 8 commission meeting.

Commissioners agreed 5-0 in 2018 to explore ways to improve how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders (see 1803220027). An NOI asked how the commission might best encourage and facilitate shifting from tower-based to location-based routing to call centers. Commenters were divided on what steps, if any, the agency should take (see 1806290047). CTIA counseled against rules on location-based routing.

The notice asks for “the latest information on improvements to location-based routing technologies and deployment of such technologies in wireless carrier networks since” the NOI. The FCC would seek “updated information on the frequency of 911 call misroutes and developments in technology, operations, or industry standards to address the problem of misroutes.” The draft asks about whether using location-based routing technologies for text-to-911 is feasible and “any interdependencies of location-based routing and Next Generation 911.”

“Given the passage of time since the prior comment period ended, enhancements in 911 location accuracy, and intervening developments related to location-based routing, we now seek to update the record in this proceeding,” the draft says. “Do wireless carriers plan to implement or expand location-based routing on their networks?” it asks: “If so, on what timelines, and what are the criteria for determining when and where to expand location-based routing? … On what timelines could wireless carriers implement location-based routing in legacy E911, transitional, and NG911 environments?”

The draft offshore NOI would ask for comment on an area that doesn’t have as well-developed of record. With the NOI “we take the first steps toward facilitating offshore operations through innovative spectrum management policy,” the draft says: “Specifically, we seek input on whether changes in our rules and policies are needed to facilitate the development of offshore commercial and private networks.” The Wireless Bureau established docket 22-204 Wednesday for filings in the proceeding.

The NOI would ask for information “on the demand for offshore spectrum access and how extensive the need is” for access. It asks about “different spectrum rights models that could facilitate offshore spectrum operations -- including shared spectrum rights, authorizations for secondary operations, and authorizations with primary rights -- and which model would best serve spectrum needs offshore while protecting incumbent operations as necessary.” The draft also seeks comment on various potential assignment mechanisms for the initial licensing of offshore operations.

The draft notes the FCC auctioned spectrum rights covering the Gulf of Mexico in the past, but only for some bands: “There is no market area license for water off the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts, or within the Great Lakes.” The FCC has also granted experimental licenses for “scientific experimentation and exploration offshore.”

“Do commenters expect that spectrum demand will vary significantly by type of offshore operation or use case?” the item asks: “How much spectrum do different types of offshore operations or uses need? … Are the needs localized or is the demand for communications or other services over long distances? What are the boundaries of offshore operation use cases? How far from the shore might demand for spectrum extend?”

A draft NPRM on the audio-focused channel 6 TV stations, sometimes called “Franken FMs,” would seek comment on “a final resolution” to the years-old question of whether the stations should continue to exist, said a fact sheet released Wednesday. The draft NPRM seeks comment on a proposed rule change to let the stations continue to broadcast using ATSC 3.0 but proposes limiting the service only to existing FM6 stations. It also seeks comment on an NPR proposal to repurpose TV channel 6 spectrum for FM stations. “We ask commenters to weigh the current radio programming benefits of FM6 stations against the lost opportunities from expanded adjacent [noncommercial educational] NCE FM service or digital LPTV service on channel 6,” it says.

The draft NPRM also asks about relaxing requirements that other services protect channel 6 from interference, and whether FM6 stations would be subject to the five percent ancillary services fee. “We seek to bring finality to these outstanding questions,” the draft says.

The draft floats proposals for repurposing the channel 6 spectrum, but the proposed rule in the text would continue allowing FM6 stations to operate by offering a video signal via ATSC 3.0 and an analog audio signal as an ancillary service. In a post Tuesday announcing the item, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel described the issue as concerning the preservation of local programming. The Media Bureau has also already granted 13 special temporary authority requests that allow FM6 stations to operate in the way proposed in the draft. The NPRM is "an important step toward preserving important local programming that has no home elsewhere on the radio dial in a way that makes the most efficient use of existing spectrum," said Paul Koplin, CEO of FM6 broadcaster Venture Technologies Group.