The First Responder Network Authority has released its final programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for the following non-contiguous areas: Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The PEIS is one of five prepared by FirstNet.
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Comments are due July 31 and replies Aug. 29 in PS docket 15-94 in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking adopted earlier this month that proposes to amend the FCC’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules to add the event code “BLU” for Blue Alerts (TR Daily, June 22). The new alert would enable the dissemination of information when law enforcement officers have been killed or seriously injured, are in imminent danger, or are missing.
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Acting on its own motion, the FCC today waived on a one-time basis its rules regarding the Rural Health Care universal service support mechanism to enable “service providers in remote Alaska to reduce the cost of service to affected HCPs,” or health-care providers.
Specifically, the Commission waived its “support calculation rules that would otherwise be triggered by a reduction in service price” and waived “any other requirement, to the extent necessary, in these special circumstances to effectuate the relief granted, including restrictions on ineligible sources of funding, certification requirements, pro-ration requirement to the extent any interpretation of that rule might suggest the need to pro-rate the newly lowered price, and restrictions on evergreen contracts.”
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A new round of testing was announced today by an entity established by CTIA to help implement the FCC’s 911 indoor location accuracy rules (TR Daily, Jan. 29, 2015). The 9-1-1 Location Technologies Test Bed LLC said it is seeking location accuracy technology vendors that want to test their “new and evolving” products.
“Stages 1 and 2 of the Test Bed focused on verifying the indoor performance of existing or commercially available 9-1-1 location technologies. The new round, Stage 2a, will enable wireless industry and public safety community stakeholders to evaluate how new and evolving technologies can continue to enhance the capabilities of our nation’s 9-1-1 system. Stage 2a testing is scheduled to begin in the San Francisco and Atlanta regions later this year,” according to a news release.
“We look forward to Stage 2a of the 9-1-1 location technology testing to support further innovation in emergency communications, including indoor location accuracy,” said Test Bed LLC Vice President Tom Sawanobori.
Applications to participate in Stage 2a are due July 21. A Stage 3 also is planned (TR Daily, Feb. 3). —Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com
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The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and Office of Engineering and Technology have denied a request filed by the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) for a waiver of the agency’s section 90.203(j)(4)-(5) mandate that requires applications for type acceptance of part 90 land mobile radio equipment using the 150-174 megahertz and 450-512 MHz bands to have 6.25 kilohertz or equivalent capability (TR Daily Sep. 26, 2016).
The requirement took effect on Jan. 1, 2015. IMSA had asked that the mandate be delayed until at least Jan. 1, 2020.
“The Commission has stated repeatedly that the migration to 12.5 kilohertz operation was only a transitional step in the eventual migration to 6.25 kilohertz technology, and that it intends, if necessary, to establish a deadline for mandatory migration to 6.25 kilohertz technology,” said the order released today in PS docket 99-87. “We find that resuming the certification of PLMR equipment that is not capable of operating on 6.25 kilohertz channels or with equivalent efficiency would not serve the public interest. Such an action would increase the embedded base of equipment that is not 6.25 kilohertz-capable, and such equipment would eventually have to be replaced as part of the migration to 6.25 kilohertz technology, thus delaying the transition. We conclude, therefore, that delaying the 6.25 kilohertz capability requirement again would be contrary to the intent of the Commission in establishing the narrowbanding rules and would frustrate the purpose of the underlying rule.” Continue reading
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved by voice vote Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation (S 1405) that includes a provision requiring the Department of Transportation to issue regulations banning cellphone voice communications during scheduled flights, except by on-duty flight crew members, flight attendants, or federal law enforcement officers. The legislation also includes a provision that expresses support for an effort to analyze whether some spectrum used by the FAA could be freed up for commercial use.
As introduced last week (TR Daily, June 23), the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 would have permitted DoT to ban in-flight voice communications but would not have required it. Today, however, the committee approved an amendment backed by Sens. Edward J. Markey (D., Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), and Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) mandating such a ban. Yesterday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved its version of FAA reauthorization legislation (HR 2997), the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act, which also includes a ban on in-flight voice communications (TR Daily, June 28). Also yesterday, Sens. Markey and Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) introduced legislation that would direct DoT to issue regulations banning the use of cellphones for voice calls on regularly scheduled flights, except by on-duty members of the flight crew or law enforcement officers (TR Daily, June 28).
“Passengers should not have to suffer through the conversations of others, and flight crews should not be disrupted while performing their important safety and security duties,” according to a news release issued by Sen. Markey’s office today.
The ban is backed by air travelers, pilots, and flight attendants. Continue reading
President Trump has nominated FCC General Counsel Brendan Carr to fill the last vacancy on the FCC. Mr. Carr took over as the agency’s general counsel when Ajit Pai became Chairman of the FCC in January. Before that, he was a legal adviser to Mr. Pai. The president previously renominated Mr. Pai, whose term expired June 30, 2016, and former Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, whose term expired June 30, 2015, to additional terms (TR Daily, March 7 and June 14). President Obama had renominated Ms. Rosenworcel, but the nomination never received a confirmation vote in the Senate, so she had to leave when the 2016 session of Congress adjourned, as Chairman Pai would have to leave when the current session adjourns, unless he is confirmed to another term first.
Chairman Pai and Ms. Rosenworcel’s renominations are for the terms immediately succeeding their own expired terms. Mr. Carr has been nominated for the remainder of former Chairman Tom Wheeler’s term, which expires June 30, 2018, and for an additional five-year term commencing on July 1, 2018. Before serving as legal adviser to then-Commissioner Pai, Mr. Carr was an attorney in the FCC’s Office of General Counsel. He has also worked in private practice at Wiley Rein LLP.
Traditionally, a Republican and a Democratic nominee to independent agencies are paired for confirmation votes, although FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly was confirmed without a paired Democratic nominee, on the pledge, according to Democratic senators, that Ms. Rosenworcel would receive an unpaired confirmation vote, which did not happen. Continue reading
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau solicited comment today on an interoperability compliance matrix recently submitted to the agency by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). An order adopted last week setting procedures for Commission review of alternative state FirstNet plans instructed the bureau to seek comments on the matrix (TR Daily, June 22 and 23).
“Upon close of the record, the Commission will issue a subsequent order specifically identifying those elements of FirstNet’s network policies that we will consider in evaluating state compliance with the second prong of the statutory test,” the order said. “We seek comment on FirstNet’s proposal, as reflected in its June 5 and June 16 ex parte filings and any related filings, and specifically on whether and to what extent the Commission should utilize the criteria proposed by FirstNet when evaluating the interoperability of a state’s proposed RAN with the NPSBN under the second prong of the Commission’s statutory interoperability analysis,” today’s Public Safety Bureau public notice said. Comments are due 10 days after “Federal Register” publication in PS docket 16-269.
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Evaluators of three alternative FirstNet plan proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals (RFP) released by the state of Michigan have recommended that the state consider the submission by Rivada Michigan LLC along with the state plan submitted by the First Responder Network Authority and its network partner, AT&T, Inc. The evaluators said that two of the bidders, Crown Castle and Macquarie Infrastructure Development LLC, did “not meet the requirements for being responsive and responsible” while Rivada did in garnering the required minimum score of 80 out of 100.
“We are honored that our alternative plan for public safety broadband in Michigan will have the chance to be placed side-by-side with the federal government’s offering,” said Declan Ganley, executive chairman and co-chief executive officer of Rivada Networks LLC, which is the managing member of Rivada Michigan. “By putting out this RFP, Michigan has given its Governor a real choice, as envisioned in the legislation that created FirstNet.” Continue reading
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) board was briefed today on the authority’s updated strategic road map, state plan consultation, and other issues as officials celebrated the recent delivery of state plans (TR Daily, June 19).At a joint meeting of the board and its four committees at a hotel near FirstNet’s Reston, Va., headquarters, officials celebrated the progress that FirstNet made with the delivery of the state plans earlier this month, less than three months after it awarded a 25-year contract to AT&T, Inc. (TR Daily, March 30), but they also stressed that much work remains.
“There’s still more work ahead,” FirstNet Chief Executive Officer Mike Poth near the end of today’s meeting after thanking states and FirstNet staff for helping the authority get this far. “No one is spiking the football. We’re not done, we’re just beginning. … The sense of urgency remains.”
FirstNet President TJ Kennedy outlined a two-year update of FirstNet’s road map, which was first adopted in 2014. For example, he noted that initial operational capability for a device and applications ecosystem is due by Sept. 30. FirstNet/AT&T deployables also will be available that date. The road map timeline also shows the 90-day clock for governor decisions to end in December, with the Band 14 marketplace opening then as well. Radio access network (RAN) construction for opt-in states is to begin in early 2018, according to the timeline — although that could occur sooner if states opt-in sooner — and the FirstNet core is to be completed in March 2018. The schedule has mission-critical push-to-talk (PTT) services being tested in June 2018 with mission-critical PTT services available in March 2019. Mr. Kennedy said these dates will be updated as necessary, and he and other FirstNet officials said hopefully deployment will occur more quickly in areas. Continue reading