Monday, December 2, 2019
Headlines Daily Digest
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp Announces Retirement
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The US Department of Agriculture is investing $5.2 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for rural households and farms in Kansas. Wave Wireless, LLC will use ReConnect Program funding to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) broadband network capable of simultaneous transmission rates of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or greater. The funded service areas include 1,390 households, 16 businesses, and 23 farms. The project will facilitate more access to services and information for local residents, and it will improve the overall quality of life for people in the community.
The Department of Agriculture is investing $4.79 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity in the county of Sweetwater. All West Communications Inc. of Wyoming and Utah, will use the grant to fund the construction of high-speed broadband infrastructure in southwest Wyoming. Using fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) technology, the project is expected to provide services up to 1 gigabyte per second of data to two service areas that include nearly 320 rural households, 20 businesses, and 18 farms as well as schools in Farson and Granger, Wyoming.
Wireless
Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter to the GSMA Related to Innovative eSIMs Standard for Mobile Devices
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division completed a nearly two-year long investigation into the standard-setting activities of the GSM Association (GSMA), a trade association for mobile network operators. The Antitrust Division’s investigation revealed that, in recent years, the GSMA used its industry influence to steer the design of eSIMs technology in mobile devices. In response to the investigation, the GSMA has drafted new standard-setting procedures that will incorporate more input from non-operator members of the mobile communications industry. The new standard-setting process will have a greater likelihood of creating procompetitive benefits for consumers of mobile devices; it will also curb the ability of mobile network operators to use the GSMA standard as a way to avoid new forms of disruptive competition that the embedded SIMs (eSIMs) technology may unleash. The GSMA expressed its intent to adopt the new procedures in a request for a business review letter from the Antitrust Division. After completing its investigation, the division is today issuing a business review letter that expresses concern about the past procedures and some of the resulting provisions in the standard. The letter concludes, however, that the proposed changes appear to adequately address those concerns. In light of these planned changes, the Antitrust Division has no present intention to bring an enforcement action against the GSMA or its mobile network operator members.
In one year mobile Video Experience has significantly improved in 59% of 100 countries analyzed. Top-ranked countries for mobile download speed were far from top in Video Experience. South Korean users’ experience ranked first for download speed yet 21st for video, while Canadians’ were third fastest for download speed in Opensignal’s State of Mobile report, but just 22nd for video. This contrast between results in part reflects the way wireless operators routinely manage mobile video traffic differently to file downloads in order to prevent the vast quantities of video data hurting the experience of other mobile apps and services.
The US is lagging behind on mobile video as carriers face a spectrum crunch. While there was an improvement in Americans’ Video Experience — with the score increasing from 46.7 to 53.8 points — it was not enough to shift US consumers up a gear into the Good category. Instead, Video Experience remained stuck in the Fair category. Americans had the lowest Video Experience score of any of the G7 economically leading countries as US carriers struggle with the combination of enormous mobile video consumption and insufficient new spectrum. Opensignal’s results highlight the need for the release of more mid-band spectrum to help US carriers meet the mobile video needs of Americans.
Apparently, Huawei has decided to fight a Federal Communications Commission decision that further curtails its business with some of its few remaining customers in the US, as it continues to advocate for itself in an escalating battle with Washington. The company is preparing a lawsuit that would challenge the decision—part of a broad recent effort by Huawei of more forcefully challenging US efforts to restrict its business. In March, Huawei sued the US government in a TX federal court to block the enforcement of provisions of a 2019 defense policy law that prevents the US government and contractors from using Huawei telecom equipment. The company has also drastically increased its spending on Washington lobbyists and has engaged in a public-relations makeover.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the Federal Communications Commission on January 3, 2020. I have loved working for the FCC over a career spanning 45 1/2 years. I thank Chairman Pai and all the past Chairmen and Commissioners for whom I have had the privilege to serve. Most of all I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with the fantastic staff in the Office of Engineering and Technology and the other bureaus and offices throughout the Commission.
I'm sure some may wonder, why I would choose to retire now when there is so much left to do. As many people are aware, I've been considering retiring for several years and actually hit the maximum retirement benefits long ago. To nobody's surprise, there will always be more things to accomplish and that will never change. As George Harrison once said in his hit song: "All Things Must Pass." There remains an outstanding team of engineers, attorneys and professionals in the Office of Engineering and Technology who are up to speed on all of our many projects. I take comfort in knowing that everything is in great hands. Nevertheless, I will miss the many people I have gotten to know in the communications sector. My wonderful wife Debi and I plan to spend more time with our family and enjoy our "golden years." I am also looking forward to achieving my lifelong ambitions of hitting cleanup for the Yankees, leading the PGA tour golf leaderboard and playing guitar and keyboard as lead vocalist in a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. Well, maybe I will at least have time to watch others do those things. In the meantime I will be working full steam ahead to support the Commission's work in my remaining time at the Commission.
FCC Chairman Pai: "Julie Knapp is an FCC institution, and I will miss him for his expertise, his leadership, and his friendship."
Commissioner O'Rielly: "He has been a steady hand, helping to lead our nation’s communications policy across many Administrations and with so varied a set of Commissioners."
Commissioner Carr: "For more than 45 years, his work at the FCC has enabled countless new technologies to reach the market for the benefit of millions of Americans."
Commissioner Rosenworcel: "He has been called on to explain so much to so many people during his time at the FCC because he is such a fantastic authority, a terrific teacher, and an extraordinary colleague whose input has improved countless decisions at the agency."
Commissioner Starks: "He is the gold standard for civil servants, providing multiple administrations with the benefit of his tremendous intellect, knowledge and experience."
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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