Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the February Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Friday, February 18, 2022:

The Federal Communications Commission is ready to authorize more than $1.2 billion through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to fund new broadband deployments in 32 states. In the largest funding round to date, 23 broadband providers will bring broadband service to over 1 million locations. The FCC also has created the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan, a new effort to monitor and ensure compliance for universal service high-cost programs including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund including increasing :

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an Order ending the ability of China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services within the United States. The Order on Revocation directs China Unicom Americas to discontinue any domestic or international services that it provides pursuant to its section 214 authority within sixty days following the release of the Order.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an order updating rules in the E-Rate program to clarify that Tribal libraries can access funding to provide affordable internet access in their communities. The Order updates the definition of “library” in the E-Rate program rules to make clear that it includes Tribal libraries, resolving a longstanding issue that limited their access to affordable broadband connectivity through the program.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules that would require broadband providers to display easy-to-understand labels to allow consumers to comparison shop for broadband services. The proposal would require broadband providers to display, at the point of sale, labels that show prices, including introductory rates, as well as speeds, data allowances, network management practices, and other critical broadband service information.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted two orders resolving pending issues associated with white space devices and the white spaces databases. The actions will provide additional certainty to white space device users, manufacturers, and database administrators to enable unlicensed white space devices to operate efficiently and protect other spectrum users, in particular wireless microphone users.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau approved the sixth and final group of funding commitments under Round 2 of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Telehealth Program and committed $47.89 million in funding to 100 health care providers across the nation. The funding commitments will provide critical support to health care providers on the front lines in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  With this action, 447 awardees have received funding commitments totaling $256,378,567 and all funding in the program has been committed.

The rapid and widespread deployment of radiofrequency (RF) devices has enabled the communications sector to drive innovation, promote economic growth, and become integral to nearly all aspects of modern life. The Federal Communications Commission’s equipment authorization program is one of the principal ways the agency ensures that the communications equipment people rely on every day, such as their cellphones and Wi-Fi devices, operate effectively without causing harmful interference and otherwise comply with the Commission’s rules.