ACA to FCC: Hurricanes Should Not Do Number on Deployment Numbers

The America Cable Association has told the Federal Communications Commission that its Sec. 706 review of whether advanced telecommunications is being deployed in a reasonable and timely manner should exclude hurricanes and other natural disasters. That came in comments for the FCC's next Sec. 706 reports and as the Carolinas are still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Florence. "The Commission should exclude storm-damaged regions from its overall deployment findings as it did in its previous report, while reporting separately on progress to restore broadband availability in such regions. This approach will best allow the Commission to measure consistently whether 'reasonable and timely' deployment is occurring year to year. At the very least, any determination whether deployment to a disaster-affected area is “reasonable and timely” must account for the tireless efforts undertaken to reconstruct damaged facilities and restore service in the wake of major disasters," ACA wrote.