Good afternoon from Washington, DC! Below you will find our Weekly Wireless Wrap-Up, your update on the wireless telecommunications regulatory landscape, important wireless decisions, and more! Here is your wrap-up:
- FCC OPEN MEETING
- On 8/5, the FCC held its August Open Meeting. The Commission considered three items, including two items on increasing awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (“ACP”), highlighted below. The Agenda originally contained six items, however, items 4, 5, and 6 were adopted and deleted from the Agenda prior to the meeting. For more information and to view a copy of the Agenda, see our post here.
- Highlights:
- The FCC adopted a Second Report and Order establishing the ACP Grant Program, which will provide grant funds to qualifying entities to increase awareness of the ACP through information campaigns. For more information and to view a copy of the item, see our post here.
- The FCC adopted a Third Report and Order establishing the one-year “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program, which will provide funding to eligible partners to increase awareness of the ACP among federal housing assistance recipients and provide assistance with the application to facilitate their enrollment in the program. For more information and to view a copy of the item, see our post here.
- ROBOCALLS
- On 8/5, the Wireline Competition Bureau released a Public Notice seeking comment on two TRACED Act obligations related to STIR/SHAKEN: (1) the two remaining STIR/SHAKEN implementation extensions; and (2) the efficacy of STIR/SHAKEN for the Triennial Assessment Report to Congress. For more information and to view a copy of the Notice, see our post here.
- ACCESS ARBITRAGE
- On 8/4, the FCC published in the Federal Register the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to update the intercarrier compensation regime to eliminate access arbitrage. Comments are due on or before September 6, 2022, and reply comments are due on or before October 3, 2022. For more information and to view a copy of the Notice, see our post here.
- ERICSSON PETITION FOR WAIVER
- On 8/8, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology released a Public Notice seeking comment on a Petition filed by Ericsson that seeks a limited waiver of two Commission rules to allow the manufacture, marketing, sale, and use of multiband radios by licensees in the 3.45 and 3.7 GHz bands. For more information and to view a copy of the Notice and Petition, see our post here.
- BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT
- On 8/9, NTIA and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”) signed an agreement to streamline environmental permitting for high-speed internet projects on Tribal lands. The agreement will allow high-speed internet service to be deployed quickly by streamlining the National Environmental Policy Acts reviews for NTIA, as overseer of several Tribal grant programs, and BIA, as manager of the rights-of-way over Tribal lands. For more information, see NTIA’s press release here.
For more information or assistance on telecommunications matters, please contact us.