Federal Communications Commission

Unlike many of the distinguished panelists and engineers in this room who will be actively involved in planning and deploying the next-generation networks, smart cities, and connected transportation systems of the future, the Federal Communications Commission’s role is to provide the environment that will allow much of the relevant technology to happen.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement regarding USTelecom’s release of broadband investment figures for 2018:

Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks sent letters to executives of 14 major phone and voice service providers seeking details about their plans to offer free, default call blocking services to consumers to combat disruptive and dangerous robocalls. “Carriers made clear to the Commission: they want to offer call blocking services to consumers by default. My colleagues and I made clear to carriers: they should not charge consumers for these services. The Commission has acted. Now it is industry’s turn to put these new tools to work for consumers.

The Federal Communications Commission authorized $166.8 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to 60,850 unserved rural homes and businesses in 22 states, representing the second wave of support from 2018's successful Connect America Fund Phase II auction. Providers will begin receiving funding in June. In total, the auction last fall allocated $1.488 billion in support to expand broadband to more than 700,000 unserved rural homes and small businesses over the next 10 years.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) through which all Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are authenticated, validated, and delivered to participating Commercial Mobile Service Providers, has informed the Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau that IPAWS will not be ready to support certain improvements to WEA as of June 10, 2019, as previously expected. Accordingly, until such time as IPAWS will support and deploy the State/Local WEA Tes

The Federal Communications Commission voted to make clear that voice service providers may aggressively block unwanted robocalls before they reach consumers. The FCC approved a Declaratory Ruling to affirm that voice service providers may, as the default, block unwanted calls based on reasonable call analytics, as long as their customers are informed and have the opportunity to opt out of the blocking. This action empowers providers to protect their customers from unwanted robocalls before those calls even reach the customers’ phones.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing its leased access rules. These rules require cable operators to set aside channel capacity for commercial use by unaffiliated video programmers. The FCC found that vacating burdensome requirements set forth in the 2008 Order as consistent with today’s highly competitive video marketplace. Second, the Report and Order streamlines the FCC’s existing leased access rules.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed changes to its part 87 Aviation Radio Service rules to support the deployment of more advanced avionics technology, increase efficient use of aeronautical spectrum, and improve aviation safety. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes technical and service rules for the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System, which will enable broadband communications capability to support airport surface operations.