FCC October 2023 Open Meeting Agenda

While the proposal I made to restore net neutrality will certainly garner the most attention, the Federal Communications Commission's October agenda features many other actions to promote digital equity and support broadband-powered innovation:

• We’re making sure internet access is fast, open, and fair for all. Net neutrality preserves internet openness by prohibiting internet providers from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing lawful content. The FCC will vote on a plan to begin the process of restoring the agency's overwhelmingly popular net neutrality rules that were repealed in 2017.
• We’re supporting new tools to close the Homework Gap. To sustain efforts to close the homework gap after the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) funds expire, the FCC will consider a Declaratory Ruling to allow E-Rate funding to be used for Wi-Fi on school buses.
• We’re harnessing technology to improve maternal health. The FCC will vote on an inquiry to explore ways the agency's mapping platform might be enhanced to help us better leverage digital health tools to improve maternal care.
• We’re unleashing wireless innovation. To enable new applications and services using these airwaves, the FCC will consider a proposal to allow Very Low-Power (VLP) devices to operate in two portions of the 6 GHz band.
• We’re making life-saving emergency alerts more accessible. The FCC will vote on rules to improve Wireless Emergency Alerts, including enhanced support for multi-lingual alerting and other changes to provide alerting authorities with a better understanding of where and how these alerts will be delivered in their communities.
• We’re addressing the unique connectivity challenges of Alaska and fine-tuning our high-cost rules. As high-cost support for Alaska is set to wind down in a few years, we will vote to kick off a rulemaking process to explore how to best continue supporting fixed and mobile broadband in some of the hardest to serve areas in the country. The FCC will also vote on changes to streamline the high-cost program rules.
• We’re making video programming more accessible for blind and visually impaired individuals. The FCC's current rules require video programmers to offer audio description in the 100 largest TV markets by the end of 2023. We will vote on a proposal to phase in audio description requirements for an additional 10 markets each year until all markets are covered.
• We will also consider two items from our Enforcement Bureau. 

See the official notice of the FCC's agenda