Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission heard reports from leaders of the Wireline Competition Bureau and Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force on their work over the last four years. The Wireline Bureau’s presentation to the Commissioners summarized the Wireline Bureau’s substantial progress in core areas, including expanding broadband to millions of previously unserved homes and businesses in rural America, removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment, and transitioning to next-generation networks.

The Federal Communications Commission heard reports from leaders of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics on their work over the last four years. The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s presentation summarized the accomplishments of its staff in contributing to the Commission’s efforts to make 5G deployment a reality.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted the following items scheduled for consideration at the Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Open Meeting:

Looking ahead, the biggest challenge facing the long-term health of the FCC’s universal service programs is the way they are funded. We are in a unique position to solve this challenge. Here’s how. Back when I was a Commissioner in 2016, I proposed that Congress should authorize a dividend from the sale of wireless spectrum that would go toward closing the digital divide. Whenever the FCC auctioned spectrum for flexible use, we would set aside 10% of the net auction proceeds for the deployment of broadband in unserved communities. I thought it was a good idea then.