Good afternoon from Washington, DC! Below you will find TLP’s Weekly Wireless Wrap-Up, your weekly update on the wireless telecommunications regulatory landscape, important wireless decisions, and more! Notably, this week, the FCC announced the Tentative Agenda for its September Open Meeting and provided additional 2021 regulatory fee guidance. Here’s your wrap-up:
- Late last Wednesday, the Wireline Competition Bureau released a Public Notice announcing that it was expanding the eligibility for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. Households that applied for and received benefits under the free and reduced school lunch or breakfast program for the 2021-2022 school year are eligible for benefits under the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. For more information, see our post here.
- Last Thursday, the FCC released its Tentative Agenda for the September Open Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 10:30 AM. The Commission is set to consider eight items at the meeting. For more on the Open Meeting and to see the Agenda items, see our post here. The Tentative Agenda includes several items that are of particular note for wireless providers, including:
- A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Promoting More Resilient Networks, which seeks to examine and update the FCC’s network outage reporting rules and address power outages effect on communications networks.
- An Order on Reconsideration and Eighth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking vacating the state-by-state leasing framework adopted for the 4.9 GHz band and seeking comment on a nationwide framework for the band.
- A Notice of Inquiry on spectrum requirements for the Internet of Things (“IoT”), seeking comment on the current and future spectrum needs for IoT devices.
- A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Shielding 911 Call Centers from Robocalls, seeking comment on updates to the FCC’s rules regarding the Public Safety Answering Point Do-Not-Call registry to protect PSAPs from robocalls.
- And, a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on proposing obligations on gateway providers to stop illegal robocalls originating abroad from entering the United States.
- On Friday, the FCC released several documents related to paying 2021 regulatory fees, including a Fact Sheet for Commercial Wireless Services, a Fact Sheet for Exempt Entities, and a Public Notice setting forth the procedures to seek a waiver, reduction, deferral, or installment payments due to COVID-19. As a reminder, FCC 2021 regulatory fees are due on September 24, 2021. For more information on these releases, see our post here.
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