FCC Posts Oct. 19 Drafts on 6 GHz, Wireless Alerts, Other Items
Of the items teed up for a vote at the FCC’s Oct. 19 meeting, changes to rules for the 6 GHz band have gotten the most attention since Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the meeting agenda Wednesday. The FCC released drafts Thursday for all the items at what will be the first meeting with new Commissioner Anna Gomez and the first 3-2 Democratic majority during the Biden administration. Among other items also on tap are Wi-Fi on school buses, improving maternal care, changes to wireless emergency alerts, video programming for the blind and visually impaired, and universal service in Alaska.
The FCC already released key details of the 6 GHz very-low power proposal in a Wednesday news release (see 2309270064). “Our actions today are intended to provide for near-term VLP deployment while also exploring a framework to provide additional flexibility to spur even more innovation, all while taking care to ensure that incumbent users are protected from harmful interference,” the 6 GHz draft contends: “Our decision provides a balance between accommodating these new and novel devices to deliver innovative applications to the American public now and taking a judicious approach toward modifying the rules to provide even more robust use at most locations.”
The draft recognizes concerns raised by numerous 6 GHz incumbents and says they were taken into account: “We aim to permit as much power as possible for these devices so that the maximum benefit can be derived from their operation while minimizing the potential risk of harmful interference to licensed incumbent operations.”
The FCC also addresses a 2021 remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2112280047). “We find, upon further analysis, that broadcasters’ unsubstantiated claims of interference in the 2.4 GHz band do not warrant any changes to the 6 GHz rules,” the draft says.
“Authorizing VLP devices for use both indoors and outdoors adds a hugely valuable form of connectivity to the next generation wireless and Wi-Fi ecosystem,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America: “Whether it’s augmented reality glasses on the go, or virtual reality goggles in the classroom, VLP devices connected to Wi-Fi routers fueled by access to wide channels of unlicensed spectrum across the entire 6 GHz band is a big win for consumers and the broader economy.” Calabrese said the next step should be increasing the power for Wi-Fi indoor access “so that connectivity is robust and affordable for all.”
“Under the proposed regulatory framework, millions of Americans will gain access to the fast-growing VLP ecosystem and the next generation of Wi-Fi use cases,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said: “This decision also strengthens the U.S. influence at the upcoming 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference which will consider international harmonization of the 6 GHz band. Since access to the 6 GHz band remains critical to the future of Wi-Fi, we look forward to the prompt resolution of all outstanding issues in this proceeding.”
Wi-Fi on School Buses
The Wi-Fi on school buses declaratory ruling clarifies that the use of Wi-Fi, “or other similar access point technologies, on school buses is an educational purpose and the provision of such service is therefore eligible for E-Rate funding.” It directs the Wireline Bureau to fund the provision of Wi-Fi, plus needed E-rate-eligible equipment, as part of the funding year 2024 eligible services list proceeding.
“Without Internet connectivity at home, many students are unable to fully engage in their education and unable to complete homework or other assignments before or after school hours,” the draft ruling says: “Given the lack of a reliable broadband connection at students’ homes and the need for connectivity to complete homework and other assignments before and after school hours, we find that the use of these services on school buses is integral, immediate, and proximate to the education of students.”
Wireless Alerts
The WEA draft order would require participating wireless providers to transmit messages translated into the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S., in addition to English and American Sign Language. “The weight of the record supports expanding WEA’s language capabilities through the use of templates,” the WEA draft says. “Some alerting authorities are already using templates to deliver alerts in multiple languages,” it notes: “The approach … improves upon other available methods of multilingual WEA messages (e.g., through the use of an embedded reference that takes the recipient to a website with content in multiple languages), because the multilingual Alert Message will be displayed to the user by default.”
The draft would also require WEA-capable mobile devices to support alerts that link subscribers to a native mapping application on their phones “to depict the recipient’s geographic position relative to the emergency incident.” That will “help people personalize threats that potentially affect them,” the draft says. The FCC would also permit WEA performance and public awareness testing by allowing alerting authorities to send two localized WEA tests per year that the public would receive by default and would create a commission-hosted WEA database.
A draft notice of inquiry on potential improvements for the agency’s Mapping Broadband Health in America online data visualization tool seeks comment and suggestions for additional data and variables, protecting privacy, and improving the user experience, said an FCC fact sheet. “We want to ensure that our future efforts to further update and refine the mapping platform reflect input” from users “on the front lines of improving maternal health,” the draft NOI says. The draft item also seeks comment on current uses of broadband-enabled health tech in maternal health care and “the range of barriers that prevent access and utilization by childbearing women or women in postpartum care.” The draft NOI also broadly asks for comments on “potential actions or activities” the FCC “could pursue, within its authority, to help improve maternal health outcomes; to reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rates.
The draft order on expanding audio description requirements to additional markets appears largely in line with the proposals in the March NPRM (see 2305010060) . The order would phase in audio description requirements for an additional 10 designated market areas each year for 10 years, until all 210 U.S. DMAs are covered by the rules. The top 100 DMAs are already required to provide the service by Jan. 1; this order would expand them to 101-110 on Jan. 1, 2025, adding 10 more each year until DMAs 201-210 are included by Jan. 1, 2035. The order would also update the Nielsen rankings used to determine those DMAs -- the current rules use rankings as of Jan. 1, 2020, but the order would use the rankings as of Jan.1, 2023. The draft order also concludes that the FCC’s existing procedures for requesting waivers or exemptions due to economic burden will be sufficient and doesn’t create a new waiver process for the audio description expansion. “We expect that the costs of extending the audio description requirements to all remaining market areas should be minimal,” the draft order says.
The FCC will also consider an NPRM asking about continued universal support for Alaska, the next step beyond the 2016 Alaska Plan. “We seek comment on the next phase of high-cost fixed and mobile support in Alaska,” the Alaska draft says. “We ask how the Commission can best support the rural and remote areas of Alaska once the support terms for the current incumbent Local Exchange Carriers and competitive eligible telecommunications carriers have ended,” the draft says: “The Commission has recognized that these areas of Alaska are some of the hardest to serve in the country, where many residents lack access to high-quality affordable broadband and the opportunity to keep up with the advances in technology that Americans living elsewhere enjoy.”
The Alaska item includes an order making changes to the current program. It would “adopt administrative rule changes to improve the administration of the high-cost program” and “reduce … duplicative filing requirements and eliminate unnecessary optional filings,” the draft says. It would also expand some reporting requirements “as necessary to improve Commission oversight, including increased performance testing reporting, elimination of waiver exceptions for study area boundary changes, and notice of [eligible telecom carrier] relinquishment before state authorities.”