Public Notice

Chairman Ajit Pai appointed 18 new members to the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) and named Doug Ducey, Governor of Arizona, Chair of the newly expanded IAC. The 18 newly appointed members join the 12 existing members. The vacancies that are now being filled resulted from both the January 2018 order expanding the IAC from 15 to 30 members and the need to replace two members whose elected terms ended in January 2018—Commissioner Ronald Brisé from the Florida Public Service Commission and Kasim Reed, Mayor City of Atlanta—and the late Edwin M.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the Motion filed by TracFone Wireless, which seeks either a waiver from the minimum service standards rule or “a declaratory ruling that the rule as promulgated would enable TracFone to comply with the minimum service standards for Lifeline service by providing its Lifeline customers with a specified quantity of ‘units’ per month,” which have been updated to reflect the new minimum service standards that will take effect December 1, 2018. 

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the Petition for Temporary Waiver filed by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association (NTCA). NTCA, on behalf of its members and similarly situated operators, requests a temporary waiver from the Bureau’s updated Lifeline minimum service standards, “applicable to fixed, wireline broadband Internet access service . . . eligible for support by the Lifeline Universal Service Fund . . .

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai made three appointments to the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE).

The Federal Communications Commission seeks information and data for the Commission’s analysis of fixed broadband competition as required by RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018. This Public Notice requests comment on the criteria or metrics that should be used to evaluate the state of fixed broadband competition. Comment and information also is sought on industry data, competitive dynamics, and trending factors in the industry, including but not limited to, subscribership numbers, financial indicators (such as revenues or profitability), investment, pricing, and network coverage.

T-Mobile US and Sprint have filed applications seeking Federal Communications Commission consent to the transfer of control of the licenses, authorizations, and spectrum leases held by Sprint and its subsidiaries to T-Mobile and the pro forma transfer of control of the licenses, authorizations, and spectrum leases held by TMobile and it subsidiaries in furtherance of T-Mobile’s and Sprint’s previously announced agreement to merge.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau updated minimum service standards levels for speed and usage allowances for Lifeline-supported services as required by the 2016 Lifeline Order including newly-calculated minimum service standards for fixed broadband. The FCC reminded providers of the updated minimum service standards for mobile broadband and mobile voice service. These standards will take effect on December 1, 2018.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission to update the rules governing Wireless Priority Service (WPS), a program that enables wireless emergency calls to get through if networks are congested. The petition is designed to update rules governing WPS, which were developed in the late 1990s and have not been updated since the program began following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Reports and recommendations that have been made to the Federal Communications Commission by Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). These final reports and recommendations, adopted by the BDAC, were submitted to the BDAC by the following working groups:

• Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure (adopted January 23, 2018; Addendum adopted April 25,2018)
• Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers (adopted January 23-24, 2018)
• Streamlining Federal Siting (adopted January 23-24, 2018)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has made two appointments regarding the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC). First, Chairman Pai has appointed BDAC member David Young to serve as Vice Chair of the BDAC. Young represents the National League of Cities on the BDAC and is the Fiber Infrastructure and Right of Way Manager for the City of Lincoln (NE). Young replaces Kelleigh Cole, who left her position as the Director of the Utah Broadband Outreach Center and resigned from the BDAC recently to pursue professional opportunities in the private sector.