fcc

FCC set top box plan takes app-based approach

9 September 2016 by Steve Blum
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The Federal Communications Commission has backed off from requiring pay-TV companies – cable, telco, satellite – to open up their networks and allow consumers to buy and use a set top boxes made by third party companies. Instead, the FCC is pushing a hybrid plan – given the litigious response from the industry, I wouldn’t call it a compromise – that would have pay TV operators create apps that can run on third-party boxes.

The FCC has only released a summary of the proposed new rules.… More

Expect more federal preemption of local wireless site reviews

8 September 2016 by Steve Blum
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There’s no partisan bickering in Washington over locating cell sites. The great divide is between federal and local governments. After making the obligatory nods toward local communities, top aides to all five FCC commissioners agreed that clearing the path for the millions of new cell sites that 5G networks will require is a top priority. They told the audience at the CTIA’s trade show in Las Vegas yesterday that in order to make 5G work, the cost of constructing cell sites, particularly the time and money required to get permit approval from cities and counties, has to come down.… More

FCC chair Wheeler says fiber companies can't hold 5G hostage

7 September 2016 by Steve Blum
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Valediction.

Backhaul is critical to development of next generation mobile networks, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said in Las Vegas this morning, promising the commission will ensure “that lack of competition in some places cannot be used to hold 5G hostage”.

It doesn’t look like the Federal Communications Commission will be taking up pricing and access regulations for middle mile backhaul in September, though. In what could be his final CTIA keynote as FCC chair, Wheeler promised new rules, but “before the end of this year” and not before the end of the month.… More

FCC preemption loss is muni broadband win

17 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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One more vote, and you’re mine.

Waving the magic federal wand and erasing state restrictions on muni broadband seems like a wonderful idea, until the wand waves the other way and muni broadband disappears. That’s why last week’s federal appeals court decision overturning the FCC’s preemption of Tennessee and North Carolina laws limiting muni broadband systems was welcome news.

The current Federal Communications Commission majority tried to preempt the state restrictions during a burst of presidential community broadband populism a year and a half ago.… More

California needs aggressive bids to win federal broadband subsidies

16 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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California has 88,000 eligible homes and businessesin the next round of federal Connect America Fund broadband subsidies. That round will be a reverse auction, where Internet service providers – including incumbent telcos – will compete for $1.3 billion that’s been earmarked for broadband upgrades in, mostly, rural areas.

Nationwide, the Federal Communications Commission has a total of 1.5 million homes and businesses on its preliminary eligibility list. About two-thirds of the Californian locations are in what are called extremely high cost areas, which means that the estimated per location subsidy necessary to convince a telco to build out broadband infrastructure is more than $1,200, according to the FCC’s funding model.… More

Speed doesn't matter so give us the money, Verizon tells FCC

15 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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Will the cherries blossom in Washington?

Verizon wants the Federal Communications Commission to give it an open and privileged path to do an end run around the statewide service obligations attached to the current round of Connect America Fund (CAF-2) rural broadband subsidies.

In comments it filed regarding the FCC’s proposed bidding rules for the next round of CAF-2 subsidies, Verizon wants extra credit given if it makes minimum service – 10 Mbps down/1 Mbps up – bids for unserved areas it turned down last year, but doesn’t want competing bids to be given greater weight if higher, even gigabit, speeds are offered, because, well, who needs all that bandwidth…

For every location in the gigabit tier that is awarded support because of a large weight, several other eligible locations would be left without any broadband service whatsoever.

… More

FCC's muni preemption attempt looks gone for good

14 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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Wednesday’s appeals court decision that tossed out the Federal Communications Commission’s preemption of state limits on municipal broadband is looking more and more like the final word.

The reaction of those on the losing side of the judge’s decision – the FCC and the cities of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Wilson, North Carolina – can be summed up as disappointed resignation. Lots of sorrow but no fighting words, as in they got it wrong and we’re gonna take it all the way to the supreme court.… More

Google's wireless goal isn't fiber replacement or magic radios

13 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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No need to wait.

Google is asking the Federal Communications Commission for permission to run wireless transmission tests in and around the 3.5 GHz band, which has been designated for use under new Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) rules.
One reason for the request is sure to be Google’s increasing focus on wireless technologies as a substitute for or supplement to fiber. But Google has another, immediately practical interest at stake too: widespread use of CBRS spectrum requires real time frequency coordination amongst users, who have varying degrees of priority in that band.… More

FCC can't preempt state limits on muni broadband, appeals court rules

10 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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Park the bulldozer.

Congress did not give the Federal Communications Commission the authority to override state government-imposed limits on expansion by municipal broadband systems. That’s the simple and – as far as it goes – unanimous opinion of three federal appeals court judges who overturned the FCC’s preemption of muni broadband restrictions in Tennessee and North Carolina.

In general, a state has complete authority to determine what cities and counties can do, within the limits of the law.… More

Federal appeals court rejects FCC's muni broadband preemption

10 August 2016 by Steve Blum
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The FCC cannot preempt state law in Tennessee and North Carolina, and give local governments permission to extend the reach of municipal broadband systems if state legislatures say otherwise. That’s the bottom line from an appeals court decision issued this morning by a three judge federal appeals court panel in Cincinnati. I’ll have more when I’ve finished reading the decision, or you can read it for yourself here:

Federal appeals court opinion reversing FCC municipal broadband preemption