Public Notice

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced the 2017 rate floor for incumbent eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) and reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed voice and broadband services. In addition, it announced the posting of the fixed voice and broadband services data collected in the most recent urban rate survey, and explanatory notes regarding the data, on the Commission’s website. The Bureau also announced the required minimum usage allowance for ETCs subject to public interest obligations for fixed broadband.

The Commission delegated authority to the Media Bureau (Bureau) to, among other things, develop a catalog of eligible reimbursement expenses (Catalog) to facilitate the process of reimbursing eligible broadcasters and Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) from the $1.75 billion TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund (Fund). The Catalog is a non-exhaustive list, organized by category, of the equipment and services broadcasters and MVPDs are most likely to incur as a result of the 39-month post-incentive auction broadcast transition.

The Federal Communications Commission will accept nominations for the Sixth Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman’s AAA) beginning February 13, 2017 through April 13, 2017 for products, services, technologies or practices introduced to the public between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.

The Chairman’s AAA are part of an FCC effort designed to recognize the efforts of individuals, organizations, academic institutions, companies and government agencies to make communications tools more accessible to people with disabilities. Since the Chairman’s AAA were first launched in 2010 at the FCC’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Chairman’s AAA have been awarded on five occasions to recognize outstanding private and public sector ventures designed to encourage technological innovation and advance communications accessibility for people with disabilities.

This document invites members of the public to comment on the Federal Communication Commission’s rules to be reviewed pursuant to section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA). The purpose of the review is to determine whether FCC rules whose ten-year anniversary dates are in the years 2011–2014 should be continued without change, amended, or rescinded in order to minimize any significant impact the rules may have on a substantial number of small entities. Upon receipt of comments from the public, the FCC will evaluate those comments and consider whether action should be taken to rescind or amend the relevant rule(s). Comments may be filed on or before May 4, 2017.

Broadband-related items:
Implementation of Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996; Commission Collection of Advanced Telecommunications Capability Data
Broadband PCS
Broadband Radio Service and Educational Broadband Service
Universal Service Support for High Cost Areas
Universal Service Support for Schools and Libraries

This is the eighteenth report of the Federal Communications Commission to the United States Congress on the status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming. In this Report, we focus on developments in the video marketplace in 2015. We categorize entities into one of three groups – multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), broadcast television stations, and online video distributors (OVDs). We describe the providers of delivered video programming in each group, summarize their business models and competitive strategies, and present selected operating and financial statistics.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau released a Public Notice on January 13, 2017 seeking comment on whether certain docketed proceedings listed in the attachment to the Public Notice should be terminated as dormant. The Bureau said to the extent that a particular proceeding includes a petition addressing the merits or other pending pleadings, a party’s failure to file comments in response to this Public Notice will be construed as consent to termination of that proceeding. A party aggrieved by a docket termination may file a petition for reconsideration with the Bureau or an application for review with the full FCC. Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publication; replies are due 45 days after Federal Register publication. (CG Docket No. 17-22)

The Federal Communications Commission Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs announced a webinar to provide an overview of the Commission’s Universal Service programs. This free, one-hour webinar is particularly tailored to the needs and interests of state and local government offices, agencies, and public officials and will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2017.

The federal Universal Service Fund is comprised of four programs designed to ensure access to affordable communications services for schools, libraries, health care providers, and rural and low-income consumers. This webinar will introduce participants to each of the components of the Federal Universal Service Fund: Connect America (or High Cost); E-Rate (Schools and Libraries); Rural Health Care; and Lifeline (LowIncome). The webinar will also explain how the programs are funded and how the funds are distributed, and will include an opportunity to pose questions about the Universal Service Fund to Commission staff.

This Public Notice seeks comment on a petition filed by the Alliance for Community Media (ACM) for waiver of certain Commission registration and certification requirements for video programmers that provide video programming exclusively to public, educational, and governmental access channels (PEG channels), to the extent that such channels are exempt from the provision of closed captioning under the Commission’s rules. Specifically, ACM requests waiver of the requirements for this class of video programmers to register contact information with the Commission and to certify to the Commission that their programs are exempt from the closed captioning rules. According to ACM, PEG channels generally fall within one or more of the exemption categories, including channels or streams producing revenues of less than $3,000,000. As grounds for its waiver petition, ACM states that the certification rule will burden many thousands of PEG video programming providers. Comments are due Feb 9, and reply comments due Feb 24.

By this Public Notice, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (Bureau or CGB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) sets a tentative date for the first 2017 meeting of the Commission’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC or Committee) and announces the appointment of Committee members for the DAC’s second two-year term. The DAC is organized under, and operated in accordance with, the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and provides advice and recommendations to the Commission on a wide array of disability matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission. A tentative date for the DAC’s first meeting of the new term is set for Tuesday, March 21, 2017, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET, at the FCC’s headquarters

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler announced the members of the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) for 2017-2019. The IAC provides guidance, expertise, and recommendations to the Commission on a range of telecommunication issues for which local, state, and Tribal governments explicitly or inherently share responsibility or administration with the Commission.