Daily Digest 5/14/2020 (News from FCC Meeting)

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Table of Contents

News From FCC

FCC Approves Sixth Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Enables Broadband Deployment in the 900 MHz Band  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Takes Steps to Expand Deployment and Use of Satellite Earth Stations in Motion  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Modernizes Broadcaster Application Public Notice Rules  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Implements TV Protection Act Retransmission Consent Rules  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Facilitates Deployment of Satellite Earth Stations in Motion  |  Federal Communications Commission
Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2020 Report & Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC-Nevada Lifeline Eligibility Computer Matching Program  |  Read below  |  Marlene Dortch  |  Public Notice  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC Publicly Releases More Detailed Version Of Notice Of Apparent Liability Against American Broadband for Lifeline Violations  |  Federal Communications Commission
FCC's Pai: Broadcasting Should be Cherished, Encouraged  |  Broadcasting&Cable

Broadband/Internet

The State of Broadband Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic  |  Read below  |  Kevin Taglang  |  Benton Foundation
USDA Invests $22.5 Million in High-Speed Broadband for Rural Michigan  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Department of Agriculture
About 1.17M Added Broadband in 1Q 2020. Most Quarterly Broadband Additions Since 1Q 2015  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Leichtman Research Group
To Close the Digital Divide, Congress Must Care About All Americans  |  Read below  |  Chris Lewis  |  Op-Ed  |  Morning Consult
Rural Telecom Operators Take on Risks for Their Communities, But for How Long?  |  Read below  |  Jeff Johnston  |  Analysis  |  CoBank
Telesat Joins C Spire Rural Broadband Consortium  |  Read below  |  Joan Engebretson  |  telecompetitor
GON with the Wind: The Failed Promise of Government Owned Networks Across America  |  Read below  |  Analysis  |  Taxpayers Protection Alliance
What do Rural Internet Users Need?  |  BLiNQ Networks
Why is Rural Broadband Essential?  |  BLiNQ Networks
Struggling to Afford Broadband During the COVID-19 Pandemic  |  Free Press

Wireless

The Pentagon's fight to kill Ligado's 5G network  |  Read below  |  Marguerite Reardon  |  C|Net
Intelsat Files for Bankruptcy Ahead of FCC Spectrum Auction  |  Wall Street Journal
Verizon’s nationwide 5G will only be a “small” upgrade over 4G at first  |  Read below  |  Jon Brodkin  |  Ars Technica
Investigate the FCC’s Investor & Public Harms from Manipulated 5G Market Research  |  Bruce Kushnick

Health

Health & Human Services Awards $15M to Support Telehealth Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic  |  Read below  |  Press Release  |  Department of Health & Human Services
The limits of smartphone data are on display as the country seeks to reopen  |  Washington Post

Education

Legislation to Support Broadband Connectivity for College Students in Need  |  Read below  |  Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA)  |  Press Release  |  House of Representatives
Park Hill School District in Kansas City: An FCC Decision E-rate Applicants Should Know About  |  Read below  |  John Windhausen  |  Press Release  |  SHLB Coalition
How Santa Fe, New Mexico Adopted Remote Learning During Crisis  |  Read below  |  Kipp Bentley  |  Government Technology

Platforms/Content

Senators Blast Facebook’s Continued Failure to Protect Users from Hate Speech and Misinformation  |  US Senate

Security/Privacy

Senate defeats amendment to shield browsing histories in FISA searches  |  Politico
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) Pushes to Require National Cyber Director in Defense Authorization Bill  |  nextgov
Department of Homeland Security will advise telecom industry on preventing 5G cell tower attacks  |  Washington Post
TikTok Broke Privacy Promises, Children’s Groups Say  |  New York Times
Your Boss Is Watching You: Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance  |  National Public Radio
FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson: Coronavirus Demands a Privacy Law  |  Wall Street Journal

Emergency Communications

New Tech Aids 911 Centers During COVID-19 Crisis  |  Government Technology

Labor

Current and ex-employees allege Google drastically rolled back diversity programs to avoid being perceived as anti-conservative  |  NBC

Elections

Democrats wrote the playbook on digital organizing, so why is President Trump dominating?  |  Los Angeles Times

Journalism

Sens Cantwell, Boozman, Klobuchar, Ernst, and Schumer Introduce Bill to Make Local Media Outlets Eligible for COVID-19 Support  |  US Senate
Anti-Lockdown Protesters Get in Reporters’ (Masked) Faces  |  New York Times

Policymakers

Democrats unveil historic rule change to allow remote voting in Congress during pandemic  |  Washington Post

Stories From Abroad

Duterte’s Shutdown of TV Network Leaves Void Amid Coronavirus Crisis in the Philippines  |  New York Times
Netflix Is Still Degrading HD Video Quality Across Europe, Angering Some Users  |  Read below  |  Todd Spangler  |  Variety
Alphabet's Loon and South Africa's Vodacom to Expand Rural Internet in Mozambique  |  Reuters
Roslyn Layton: Facebook quietly connects the next billion users to the internet  |  American Enterprise Institute
The Tiny Radio Stations That Lift Spirits in Hospitals  |  New York Times

Industry/Company News

How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries  |  Vox

Life As We Know It Now

Grandparents are dancing with their grandkids on TikTok. People can’t get enough.  |  Washington Post
Today's Top Stories

News From the FCC Meeting

FCC Approves Sixth Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission approved an additional 33 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $8.36 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has funded 82 health care providers in 30 states for a total of $33.26 million in funding.

FCC Enables Broadband Deployment in the 900 MHz Band

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission took action to make six megahertz of low-band spectrum available for the development of critical wireless broadband technologies and services. The 900 MHz band is currently designated for narrowband land mobile radio communications and primarily used by land transportation, utility, manufacturing, and petrochemical companies. The item approved May 13 makes six megahertz available for broadband licenses on a county-by-county basis while reserving the remaining four megahertz of spectrum for continued narrowband operations. This transition will enable next generation, mission-critical applications not available via current narrowband systems and help meet the evolving technological needs of industries that provide crucial services to the American public.

FCC Takes Steps to Expand Deployment and Use of Satellite Earth Stations in Motion

Press Release  |  Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission took action to facilitate the continued deployment of earth stations used to provide satellite-based communications services on ships, airplanes, and vehicles. Satellite earth stations in motion (ESIMs) provide continuous and consistent broadband services to moving platforms by connecting them with satellites. May 13’s action expands the frequency bands available to these moving earth stations, promotes operational flexibility, and advances regulatory consistency between ESIMs communicating with fixed satellite service systems in geostationary satellite orbit and those in nongeostationary satellite orbit. The decision also adopts a regulatory framework for earth stations in motion communicating with non-geostationary fixed satellite service space stations which is similar to the current framework for geostationary connections, including extending blanket earth station licensing.

In addition to the new rules, the FCC is also seeking comment on potential interference from out-of-band emissions of ESIMs operating with non-geostationary satellite orbit space stations into the adjacent band used by the Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service (UMFUS). Together these actions will simplify the regulatory approval process for this service and promote innovative and flexible use of satellite technology. ESIMs are a fast-growing segment of the satellite communications market.

FCC-Nevada Lifeline Eligibility Computer Matching Program

Marlene Dortch  |  Public Notice  |  Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) have established computer matching program with the State of Nevada, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS). The purpose of this matching program is to verify the eligibility of applicants to and subscribers of the Lifeline program. Written comments are due on or before June 12, 2020. This computer matching program will commence on June 12, 2020, unless written comments are received that require a contrary determination, and will conclude on December 13, 2021.

Broadband/Internet

The State of Broadband Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kevin Taglang  |  Benton Foundation

The Senate Commerce Committee examined the ongoing initiatives led by the Federal Communications Commission to maintain and expand high-speed and reliable broadband connections to all Americans during this national public health emergency. The hearing also examined the impact of funds provided through the CARES Act to support broadband initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels, and legislative proposals focused on addressing the digital divide during the COVID-19 outbreak. [much more at the link below]

USDA Invests $22.5 Million in High-Speed Broadband for Rural Michigan

Press Release  |  Department of Agriculture

The US Department of Agriculture is investing $22.5 million for two recipients in Michigan to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas. These investments are part of USDA’s round one investments made through the ReConnect Pilot Program. The awards include an $11.8 million loan/grant combination to Barry County Services Company to provide affordable, fiber-based broadband services in rural Barry County. This project will extend broadband availability to 17 farms, 16 businesses and 12,000 residents spread over 127 square miles. Southwest Michigan Communications Inc. is receiving a $10.7 million loan/grant combination to deploy Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband service to Van Buren and Allegan counties. This project will extend broadband availability to 22 farms, 19 businesses and 7,700 residents spread over 100 square miles. The two projects will bring modern broadband service to nearly 20,000 residents.

About 1.17M Added Broadband in 1Q 2020. Most Quarterly Broadband Additions Since 1Q 2015

Press Release  |  Leichtman Research Group

Leichtman Research Group (LRG) found that the largest cable and telephone providers in the US – representing about 96% of the market – acquired about 1,165,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 1Q 2020, compared to a pro forma gain of about 955,000 subscribers in 1Q 2019. These top broadband providers now account for about 102.4 million subscribers, with top cable companies having 69.2 million broadband subscribers, and top wireline phone companies having 33.2 million subscribers. Findings for the quarter include:

  • Overall, broadband additions in 1Q 2020 were 122% of those in 1Q 2019
    • Broadband additions overall were the most in any quarter since 1Q 2015
  • The top cable companies added about 1,230,000 subscribers in 1Q 2020 – 132% of the net adds for the top cable companies in 1Q 2019
    • Cable broadband net additions were the most in any quarter since 1Q 2007
  • The top wireline phone companies had a net loss of about 65,000 subscribers in 1Q 2020 – compared to a net gain of about 20,000 subscribers in 1Q 2019
  • Over the past year, there were about 2,750,000 net broadband adds – compared to about 2,635,000 net broadband adds over the prior year

To Close the Digital Divide, Congress Must Care About All Americans

Chris Lewis  |  Op-Ed  |  Morning Consult

If the coronavirus pandemic has taught the technology and communications policy world anything, it is that policymakers have utterly failed to meet the mission of the National Broadband Plan. Although the National Broadband Plan provided a road map and initially tracked progress, we have seen a relatively nonpartisan tech policy space abandon consensus views on the technicalities of the network and the importance of universal service principles. Urban and rural communities alike cry out about the essential need for affordable high-speed broadband, but in Washington (DC) only words and half measures are provided as solutions.

It is time for voters in red America and blue America to see that they are in the same place when it comes to broadband, and demand that their elected officials take action to connect each of us. We all benefit when every school, home and business connects to essential broadband networks. As we watch Washington return to this understanding in its policy conversations, we must demand that both the conversations and the proposed policies reflect the universal need in the country. 

Hearings dominated by industry are missing the voice of main street businesses and citizens from both urban and rural areas. Broadband providers are key stakeholders in this conversation, but their fear of higher expectations and accountability by the federal government needs to be tempered by having all voices at the table. Panels and stakeholder discussions that do not reflect the diversity of our country do a disservice to every community in showing how connectivity is important to each of us, even though the challenge each community faces looks slightly different.

Any revisit or renewal of a plan to connect all Americans should have the values of equity and universal access at the center of the technical and economic discussions of how to ensure networks are open, secure, and affordable. If the novel coronavirus hasn’t made plain to your member of Congress that broadband is essential for communities to learn, work and thrive, then we are in danger of discussing the need for a third National Broadband Plan a decade from now. Policymakers must agree that if one of us cannot connect, then Congress has failed all of us.

[Chris Lewis is the president and CEO of Public Knowledge.]

Rural Telecom Operators Take on Risks for Their Communities, But for How Long?

Jeff Johnston  |  Analysis  |  CoBank

Rural telecommunication operators are taking on business and financial risks to ensure their communities remain connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are providing free service and setting up free Wi-Fi hot spots, exposing them to cash flow risks. Setting up hot spots for school children to use while in the parking lot of a fairground is admirable, but this is not a sustainable model for rural operators or the community – and neither is the Universal Service Fund (USF) funding mechanism that only levies fees against telecommunication bills. Contribution reform that includes applying fees to broadband bills could stabilize the USF program and ensure that more money is available to help bridge the digital divide.

Telesat Joins C Spire Rural Broadband Consortium

Joan Engebretson  |  telecompetitor

Satellite broadband provider Telesat has joined the rural broadband consortium that Mississippi wireless and broadband provider C Spire established in 2019. The consortium was created with the goal of spurring broadband adoption and deployment. Other consortium members include equipment providers Airspan Networks, Microsoft, Nokia, and Siklu. Telesat will provide “analysis tools” and expertise in low earth orbit (LEO) technology to “help the consortium work on new business models designed to encourage and promote third-party engagement,” a press release explains. The term “third-party” apparently refers to broadband providers such as wireless ISPs (WISPs) or mobile carriers deploying high-speed services.

Canada-based Telesat has worked with the Canadian government to provide backhaul connectivity to remote areas. The company operates a traditional geostationary satellite fleet but also plans to launch broadband service using LEO satellites in 2022. While geostationary satellite service has relatively high latency, the LEO approach, which requires many more satellites in non-geostationary orbits, provides lower latency.

GON with the Wind: The Failed Promise of Government Owned Networks Across America

The problems with government-owned networks (GONs) for taxpayers and broadband consumers across the country with a stress on the the massive amount of taxpayer dollars being wasted as governments continue to build broadband networks across America. Taxpayer-funded broadband networks are rarely successful as they are poorly targeted and underutilized, oftentimes being sold to private companies for less than the cost of construction. These taxpayer-funded broadband networks undermine private efforts to keep America connected during the COVID-19 crisis and are therefore especially harmful for households.  

Wireless

The Pentagon's fight to kill Ligado's 5G network

Marguerite Reardon  |  C|Net

Even as major players like Verizon and AT&T are rushing to roll out 5G, a little-known company is looking to build its own alternative network using the wireless technology with the intent to connect the various devices in our lives. With so much hype around 5G, you'd expect a red carpet for this initiative. But the company, Ligado Networks, has run into some high-profile opposition: the US Defense Department. It's the latest twist in a long-running saga over the idea of an alternative cellular network. Ligado, a wireless satellite venture known previously as LightSquared, has been working for nearly two decades to deploy its wireless spectrum, originally earmarked for satellite services, to help telecom companies deliver next-generation wireless offerings. The Pentagon says the system Ligado proposes would mess with the GPS signals that are vital to military operations.

Verizon’s nationwide 5G will only be a “small” upgrade over 4G at first

Jon Brodkin  |  Ars Technica

Verizon Communications CEO Hans Vestberg said that most 5G mobile users will see a "small" upgrade at first, and he stressed the continued relevance of 4G. Vestberg reiterated previous Verizon statements that the biggest improvements will come on millimeter-wave spectrum in the most densely populated and trafficked areas. But millimeter-wave frequencies don't travel as far as low- and mid-band radio waves and are easily blocked by walls and other obstacles, making them unsuitable for nationwide coverage. As such, Vestberg was asked whether consumers will see a noticeable difference between 4G and 5G in areas without millimeter-wave coverage. Vestberg said that customers will eventually see "dramatic improvements," but not in the near term.

Health

Health & Human Services Awards $15M to Support Telehealth Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),k awarded $15 million to 159 organizations across five health workforce programs to increase telehealth capabilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These awards are funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. HRSA made awards to organizations based on their capacity to implement COVID-19 telehealth activities that train high demand professions across the health care team.“Telehealth is a vital tool for our providers in delivering critical treatment to populations most seriously impacted by this pandemic,” said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. “As we look to build and prepare the future workforce, telehealth has opened up new possibilities to educate and clinically train health providers to connect with patients, when and where they need services.”

Education

Legislation to Support Broadband Connectivity for College Students in Need

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA)  |  Press Release  |  House of Representatives

Reps Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18), Doris Matsui (D-CA-6), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01), Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20),  Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At-Large), and Alma Adams (D-NC-12) introduced legislation to establish a new program to support college students who are unable to participate in distance learning. The Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act provides $1 billion to colleges and universities to pay for at-home internet connections for students in need. Higher education institutions can use the funding to pay for routers, modems, wi-fi hotspots, tablets, or laptops, as well as monthly broadband service for students. Funding would be prioritized for historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions, as well as rural-serving institutions. Institutions receiving funding must prioritize students eligible for need-based financial aid such as Pell Grants or means-tested social safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.

A companion measure was introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

Park Hill School District in Kansas City: An FCC Decision E-rate Applicants Should Know About

John Windhausen  |  Press Release  |  SHLB Coalition

A years-long headache for the Park Hill (Kansas City, MO) School District has finally come to a satisfying resolution that could benefit schools and libraries across the US. Since Feb 2018, Park Hill has wrestled with the federal government to obtain E-rate funding for a fiber project connecting several of its schools. On April 27, the Federal Communications Commission finally granted Park Hill’s E-rate funding request in a decision that also sets a good precedent for the larger community of E-rate applicants.

Park Hill’s FY2016 E-rate application was approved without issue. Yet shortly after applying for additional funding for FY2017, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) denied the Park Hill request and rescinded the FY2016 funding. USAC rescinded the funding because the network would not be exclusively owned and used by the school district due to the Kansas City partnership. Recently, the FCC reinstated and approved Park Hill’s E-rate funding for FY2016 and FY2017. In the Order granting the district’s request, the FCC made clarifications that offer more certainty to future E-rate applicants:

  • A school or library can share a self-provisioned, E-rate-supported network with an ineligible third party, as long as the applicant uses cost allocation and the ineligible party covers its fair share of the undiscounted costs. 
  • A school or library is not required to be the exclusive owner, operator, and/or user of an E-rate-supported, self-provisioned network.

The FCC’s Park Hill clarifications remove some of that ambiguity and sketches the beginnings of a road map for future applicants. 

How Santa Fe, New Mexico Adopted Remote Learning During Crisis

Kipp Bentley  |  Government Technology

Like many schools throughout the US, when the coronavirus forced Santa Fe (NM) Public Schools (SFPS) to go online, this 12,000-student district quickly put together an implementation plan and went to work. Though Santa Fe has pockets of wealth, New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the country, and the Santa Fe school district’s free and reduced lunch rate is 75 percent. But the district has received significant community support through a property tax-funded Educational Technology Note. These monies have allowed the district to implement a one-to-one laptop program for students in grades six and above, hire digital learning coaches, upgrade district technology infrastructures, and make other significant technology purchases in support of student learning. At the beginning of the pandemic, over 500 SFPS students reported they didn’t have the home Wi-Fi necessary for remote learning. So the district has gone several routes to address this issue: Working with the city of Santa Fe to install outdoor Wi-Fi hot spots at several district schools in neighborhoods of greatest need, and ordering 500 Wi-Fi mobile hot spots for students’ at-home use.

Stories From Abroad

Netflix Is Still Degrading HD Video Quality Across Europe, Angering Some Users

Todd Spangler  |  Variety

Almost two months ago, Netflix said it would reduce video bit rates for 30 days in Europe, aiming to reduce bandwidth consumed by customers by 25% during the COVID-19 crisis. It has now been 55 days since that announcement — and Netflix customers in Europe and the UK say the streamer is still delivering throttled HD and Ultra HD video, in some cases with bit rates at less than 50% usual. They say that has caused noticeable degradation of image quality, including blurring and pixelation, especially on bigger TV screen sizes. The reason some Netflix members are irritated about the situation is that — in addition to only being able to access sub-optimal video quality — the company charges different rates depending on video quality. The entry-level Basic plan offers SD-only streaming; the two-stream Standard tier provides HD quality; and the four-stream Premium plan offers up to Ultra HD for select content.

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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.


© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2020. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org


Kevin Taglang

Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
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