The FCC warned staff it lacks reserve funds to stay open in the event of another partial federal shutdown. Trade groups said they're hopeful government stays open, with some concerns if it doesn't. The agency confirmed Wednesday (see 1902130018) it sent memo to all workers saying most FCC operations would shut down at midnight Friday absent a budget agreement.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
What is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the U.S. federal government’s regulatory agency for the majority of telecommunications activity within the country. The FCC oversees radio, television, telephone, satellite, and cable communications, and its primary statutory goal is to expand U.S. citizens’ access to telecommunications services.
The Commission is funded by industry regulatory fees, and is organized into 7 bureaus:
- Consumer & Governmental Affairs
- Enforcement
- Media
- Space
- Wireless Telecommunications
- Wireline Competition
- Public Safety and Homeland Security
As an agency, the FCC receives its high-level directives from Congressional legislation and is empowered by that legislation to establish legal rules the industry must follow.
Latest News from the FCC
Donald Trump's administration released its American Broadband Initiative milestones report Wednesday, outlining a strategy for spurring wireless and wireline broadband using federal lands. It includes opening Department of Interior (DOI) towers for communications use and streamlining other buildout. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on ways to ensure U.S. infrastructure keeps up with economic growth.
Universal Service Administrative Co. will do all Lifeline de-enrollments itself, after some providers of the government-subsidized broadband and phone service for the poor and others said they might need to yank recipients whose eligibility wasn't newly verified. The Lifeline administrator's reminder was about a reverification process that has caused provider confusion as an FCC-mandated national verifier (NV) is rolled out in states.
The 1996 Telecom Act was a success but needs an update to connect those still unserved, former FCC officials and industry representatives agreed Sunday on a Telecom Staff Subcommittee panel. It’s unlikely to happen this Congress due to political divisions, they said. Former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Gigi Sohn, former aide to ex-Chairman Tom Wheeler, urged states to stand up. Some state officials responded that pre-emption makes that difficult.
One question for the FCC on the 5.9 GHz band's future is whether to act on a 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) waiver to deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X) in the upper 20 MHz of the band or wait for a broader NPRM. Industry officials said that with Chairman Ajit Pai quiet so far, it's tough to predict what the FCC will do. The band is allocated to dedicated short-range communications (DSRC).
Telecom interests advised the FCC to encourage wireless network resiliency improvements through coordination with electric utilities, going easy on mandates. Utilities urged more telecom sector engagement with state and local authorities, and greater network protections, including through backup power. Comments were posted in docket 11-60 through Monday on a Jan. 3 Public Safety Bureau public notice seeking ways to increase such coordination amid emergencies (see 1901030037). Some telco and cable parties cited their backhaul efforts, responding to a Dec. 10 PN (see 1812100027).
Universal Service Administrative Co. hasn't de-enrolled any Lifeline users who failed the national verifier's automatic reverification, and no decision has been made on when that will happen, USAC Vice President-Lifeline Michelle Garber told the Telecom Staff Subcommittee at NARUC Sunday. A state commissioner and subcommittee members grilled Garber on high rates of users failing the automated check due to the NV not accessing all databases relevant to determining eligibility, with USAC not even trying to access them in higher cost states.
New Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said the FCC must move quickly on complaints AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint are selling customers' real-time location data to bounty hunters (see 1901080046). The ex-Enforcement Bureau staffer, flanked by staff, met reporters Friday.
ANNAPOLIS -- Maryland shouldn’t wait for courts to rule on net neutrality before moving ahead with a law to restrict procurement to companies that follow such rules, Maryland Del. Kirill Reznik (D) told us Wednesday after the House Economic Affairs panel heard testimony on his net neutrality and ISP privacy bill (HB-141). Telecom and cable industry witnesses advised the state to wait at least until a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which heard argument last week on the FCC net neutrality order (see 1902010046). A House Communications Subcommittee hearing is Thursday (see 1902060036).
A Wednesday Senate Commerce Committee hearing on 5G was dominated by lawmakers' concerns about the national security threat from China in its race against the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is believed to be considering actions aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness in 5G and other technologies, communications lobbyists told us. Trump barely mentioned tech during Tuesday night's State of the Union, matching officials' expectations (see 1901180032). Concerns about 5G security were also the focus of a Center for Strategic and International Studies event (see 1902060056).