Federal Communications Commission

2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season Report - Impact on Communications

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was notable for the devastation wrought to various types of infrastructure, including communications. The adverse effect of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season on communications increased in magnitude as the season went on. Leadership at the Commission undertook fact-finding missions to the hardest-hit regions.

FCC Announces Anticipated Disability Advisory Committee Renewal and Membership Solicitiation

By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission announces the anticipated renewal of its Disability Advisory Committee (Committee) and solicits applications for membership on the Committee, subject to renewal of the Committee’s charter. Applications for membership are due by 11:59 P.M. EST on September 21, 2018. The mission of the Committee is to make recommendations to the Commission regarding disability issues specified by the Commission.

Chairman Pai Response Regarding Lifeline Reform

On August 10, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai responded to letters from members of Congress who wrote to Chairman Pai regarding drastic cuts to the FCC's Lifeline program. In response, Chairman Pai wrote that the 2017 Lifeline Reform Order seeks to focus Lifeline support where it is most needed.

Mobility Fund Phase II Challenge Process Window Extended 90 Days

In this Order, we extend the previously announced deadline for the close of the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) challenge window by an additional 90 days. Challengers will have until November 26, 2018, to submit speed test data in support of a challenge. We adopt this extension to ensure that interested parties can initiate and submit speed test data for areas they wish to challenge. In addition, given this extension, we propose to make modifications to the speed test data specifications regarding the relevant timeframes for valid speed tests.

Chairman Pai Remarks at Rio Rancho Cyber Academy in New Mexico

As of 2017, an estimated 6.5 million students nationwide attended schools that didn’t have the Internet bandwidth needed to support digital learning. More than 2,000 schools lacked fiber connections. Notably, 77% of those schools were in rural communities.  If there’s one message you should take away from my being here today, it’s that the Federal Communications Commission is committed to working with educators and state and local leaders across the country to close these connectivity gaps.

FCC Directs USAC to Fully Fund Eligible Category 1 and 2 E-Rate Requests

In this notice, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announces that there is sufficient funding available to fully meet the Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC) estimated demand for category one and category two requests for E-Rate supported services for funding year 2018. 

FCC Registry To Boost Provider Accountability in Rural Call Completion

Across the country, Americans depend on reliable phone service to stay in touch with friends and family, conduct business, and access vital public services. Although all Americans should have confidence that calls made to or by them will be completed, for those living in rural or remote areas, too often this is not the case.

Chairman Pai Remarks Before Michigan Association of Broadcasters

For its part, the Federal Communications Commission will not take the value of broadcasting for granted so long as I am Chairman. I’m committed to modernizing our rules in order to allow broadcasting to flourish. Our record over the past year-and-a-half is proof of this. And with your indulgence, I’d like to walk through some of that record.

Chairman Pai Response Regarding Wireless Infrastructure Regulations

On March 21, 2018, Sens Tom Udall (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-NM), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Rep Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission expressing concern over the FCC's report and order"wireless infrastructure streamlining" and asked the FCC to delay finalizing the rule, "until a truly meaningful consultation with Indian Tribes occurs." On Aug 3, Chairman Pai responded, saying that in developing the new rules, the Commission engaged extensively with tribal nations, inter-tribal organizations, and state and local historic preservation officers.

FCC Seeks Comment Pursuant to Spectrum Pipeline Act

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules for the 3550-3700 MHz band (3.5 GHz Band), opening the path to new commercial wireless use of this band. Now the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology of the Federal Communications Commission seek comment on the results of those rule changes, as directed by Congress in the Spectrum Pipeline Act. The FCC is required to give notice and provide an opportunity for public comment before submitting to Congress no later than November 2, 2018 a report containing:

FCC Opens Annual Inquiry on Broadband Deployment

Although the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018 (RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018) amends section 13 of the Communications Act of 1934, and requires the Federal Communications Commission, “in the last quarter of every even numbered year” to publish a “Communications Marketplace Report,” that, among other things, “assess[es] the state of deployment of communications capabilities, including advanced telecommunications capability (as defined in section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C.

FCC Seeks Applicants for BDAC Disaster Response and Recovery Group

The Federal Communications Commission solicits nominations for membership on a new Disaster Response and Recovery Working Group of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). This new working group will assist the BDAC in providing advice and recommendations to the FCC on steps that can be taken to improve disaster preparation, response, and recovery for broadband infrastructure.

FCC Grants E-Rate Relief to Pribilof School District

After a series of errors associated with the Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC’s) roll-out of the ERate Productivity Center (EPC), the web-based account and application management portal for the E-Rate program, Pribilof School District (St. Paul Island, Alaska) filed its application for funding and its subsequent waiver request after the applicable deadlines.

Report on Alleged Multiple Distributed Denial-Of-Service Attacks involving the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System

On May 7, 2017, the Home Box Office (HBO) program “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” aired a segment in which the host John Oliver discussed the Federal Communications Commission’s “Restoring Internet Freedom” (RIF) proceeding and encouraged viewers to visit the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) and file comments.

Statement of Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in Response to FCC's Inspector General Report Finding No Distributed Denial of Service Attack During Net Neutrality Proceeding

The Inspector General Report tells us what we knew all along: the FCC’s claim that it was the victim of a DDoS attack during the net neutrality proceeding is bogus. What happened instead is obvious—millions of Americans overwhelmed our online system because they wanted to tell us how important internet openness is to them and how distressed they were to see the FCC roll back their rights. It’s unfortunate that this agency’s energy and resources needed to be spent debunking this implausible claim.

Chairman Pai Statement On Office Of Inspector General Report On FCC Comment System

For several months, my office has been aware of and cooperating with the Office of Inspector General’s independent investigation into the incident involving the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) that took place on May 7-8, 2017.