Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission released updated data on fixed broadband deployment and mobile voice and broadband deployment as of June 30, 2017. These data were collected through FCC Form 477 and are available on the Commission’s website.

The Rural Utilities Service has sought comment on identifying rural areas eligible for funding, and specifically, how to evaluate whether an area already has "sufficient access" to broadband, and how to very broadband availability data in a proposed service area. In response to this Notice of Inquiry, I respectfully offer some guidance based on my experience from working on the Federal Communications Commission's efforts to connect rural and remote parts of the country. 

[The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reaffirmed in Charter Advanced Services (MN), LLC v. Lange (in the context of Minnesota’s attempt to regulate interconnected VoIP service) that state efforts to regulate information services are preempted by federal law.]

Today, in the spirit of learning from the past and building a brighter future, I want to focus on two specific bands where I believe we can do better—the 5.9 and 2.5 GHz bands. I want to walk you through their history and then—no shame—provide some ideas about what we can do right now to ensure these airwaves become the stuff of spectrum success.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks nominations for the following positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for a three-year term.

Washington does not treat 911 operators with the respect they deserve. The Office of Management and Budget is responsible for a program known as the Standard Occupational Classification, which is an occupational data set that is widely used by state and federal authorities. It classifies 911 operators as “clerical workers.” This is outdated—and it needs to be fixed. 911 operators are first responders. When the unthinkable occurs, they are our first contact with public safety.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the September Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 2018: