FCC

From the July 24, 2018, FCC Daily Digest

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The first two excerpts below are two cases in which the FCC has denied a waiver of the T-Band license freeze.  The third excerpt below is an enforcement case on non-compliant LED signs/billboards.  FCC assessed a $43K penalty and the company also will implement a compliance plan.

COMMISSIONERS OF FIRE DISTRICT NO. 1, FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY; REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF T-BAND SUSPENSION NOTICE. Denied the waiver request. Action by: Chief, Policy and Licensing Division Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Adopted: 2018-07-23 by ORDER. (DA No. 18-763). PSHSB. DA-18-763A1.docx DA-18-763A1.pdf DA-18-763A1.txt

COUNTY OF UNION, NEW JERSEY; REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF SECTION 90.305(A) OF THE COMMISSION’S RULES\r\n. Denied the waiver request. Action by: Chief, Policy and Licensing Division Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Adopted: 2018-07-23 by ORDER. (DA No. 18-764). PSHSB. DA-18-764A1.docx DA-18-764A1.pdf DA-18-764A1.txt

THINKSIGN OPTOELECTRONICS, INC. A/K/A THINKSIGN INC. Resolves an investigation into whether ThinkSign Optoelectronics marketed LED signs used in digital billboards and other commercial and industrial applications, in violation of the Commission’s equipment marketing rules. Action by: Deputy Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 2018-07-24 by Order/Consent Decree. (DA No. 18-757). EB. DA-18-757A1.pdf DA-18-757A1.txt

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, July 19, 2018

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FirstNet Potpourri

The first item of interest for FirstNet and its rural customers should be the progress on H.R. 3994. If passed by Congress and signed into law, this bill will provide a new government oversight organization that will hopefully establish a pool of all existing grants and low-cost broadband loans being offered by government agencies including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA, Broadband USA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and others. A few weeks ago I indicated that FirstNet should be an active participant in this new agency or whatever they decide to call it. I suggested that this agency should be structured like the FirstNet Authority, which is an Independent entity with its own board of directors and can work on public/private partnerships. This has worked well for FirstNet and has enabled it to move forward somewhat faster than a typical government entity.

Further, I think this organization should only hire people experienced in broadband deployments (fiber, microwave, and various forms of wireless) and who understand the economics of engineering and building out successful broadband systems. They should also understand that a grant to simply build a network without any follow-on to keep it running (maintenance, insurance, leases, power, etc.) is a waste of time. While AT&T is required to build out FirstNet in rural areas, it is also charged with maintaining, upgrading, and even expanding it over the course of the next 25 years.

H.R. 3994 was moved out of the sub-committee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the full committee on June 13, 2018. On July 12, 2018, which is lightening fast for committee action, it was ordered by a voice vote of the full committee to be reported. This means it will now go the entire House for a vote. If it is passed and sent to the Senate, it too, will hopefully pass the bill in record time. Then instead of having various agencies with their different grants, deadlines, and guidelines, and some agencies favoring fiber-only solutions while some understand the last mile is best served by wireless, everyone will be under one roof run by people who live and breathe broadband. The organization will understand that the FirstNet requirement for rural broadband build-out provides many opportunities for additional broadband sites and services to be coordinated, combined, or built to interface with FirstNet (Built by AT&T).

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From the FCC Daily Digest, July 17, 2018

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PRISMVIEW, LLC ORDER AND CONSENT DECREE. Resolves an investigation into whether Prismview, LLC marketed LED signs used in digital billboards and other commercial and industrial applications, in violation of the Commission’s equipment marketing rules. Action by: Deputy Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 2018-07-17 by Order/Consent Decree. (DA No. 18-572). EB. DA-18-572A1.pdf DA-18-572A1.txt

YAHAM LED USA, INC., ORDER AND CONSENT DECREE. Resolves an investigation into whether Yaham LED marketed LED signs used in digital billboards and other commercial and industrial applications, in violation of the Commission’s equipment marketing rules. Action by: Deputy Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 2018-07-17 by Order/Consent Decree. (DA No. 18-656). EB. DA-18-656A1.pdf DA-18-656A1.txt

 

FCC Grants Waiver for Nationwide EAS Test

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The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau granted a limited waiver today to require wireless carriers to participate in the first nationwide, end-to-end wireless emergency alert (WEA) test. In seeking the waiver (TR Daily, July 11), the Federal Emergency Management Agency said “[t]his will be the first nationwide test of WEA utilizing the Presidential level code.”

The test is scheduled for 2:18 p.m. EDT on Sept. 20, with an Oct. 3 back-up date at the same time. “The WEA test would be conducted in coordination with a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) that would immediately follow the WEA test” at 2:30 p.m. EDT, the bureau noted in today’s order, which was adopted in PS dockets 15-91 and 15-94.

Courtesy TRDaily

National Sheriffs’ Association Stresses Need for Bands

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The National Sheriffs’ Association board recently adopted resolution highlighting public safety’s need for the T-band, the 4.9 gigahertz band, and the 6 GHz band.

The resolution, which was adopted at the NSA’s annual conference in New Orleans, urged Congress to repeal a statutory requirement that the FCC reallocate and auction T-band spectrum by 2021 and relocate incumbents by 2023. The group said lawmakers should pass HR 5085, which would repeal a provision included in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 requiring the T-band reallocation and auction (TR Daily, Feb. 27). The resolution also encouraged the FCC to lift its T-band licensing freeze.

The T-band encompasses TV channels 14-20 (470-512 megahertz). Public safety agencies use the spectrum in 11 major markets.

The NSA resolution also said the organization “encourages Congress and the FCC to seriously consider existing and prospective public safety operations in the 4.9 GHz band spectrum before making further decisions on the band; and … encourages the FCC to ensure full protection of 6 GHz band public safety and other critical operations from interference that could occur from opening the band to unlicensed consumer use.”

The resolution said that “the law enforcement and related public safety communities [rely] on the 4.9 GHz band to support 24/7 connections to fixed surveillance cameras increasingly necessary for law enforcement protection of the public and for secure WiFi networks not shared with consumers”; “the FCC is considering allowing unlicensed consumer operations in the 6 GHz microwave band (5.925-6.425 GHz) relied on by the nation’s law enforcement and other public safety entities, utilities, railroads and other key users for links between critical fixed locations”; and “the reliability of spectrum sharing mechanisms being considered by the FCC for the 6 GHz band have yet to be proven …”

The resolution also noted that “certain FCC Commissioners have publicly expressed a strong interest in reallocating the 4.9 GHz (4940-4990 MHz) Public Safety spectrum for commercial use …”

Courtesy TRDaily

FCC Gets Mixed Views on 911 Network Reliability Rules

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The FCC has received various views on whether it should modify its network reliability rules, including outage notifications to public safety answering points (PSAPs), with some parties favoring certain revisions and others opposing them, including modifying what entities are covered by the regulations.

Comments were filed in PS 13-75 in response to a public notice released last month by the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (TR Daily, June 13). Among other things, the public notice sought comment on whether the FCC should weaken the current regulations.

“Under current Commission rules, ‘covered 911 service providers’ are required to: 1) take ‘reasonable measures’ to ensure 911 circuit diversity, availability of central office backup power, and diverse network monitoring; 2) certify annually to their performance of these measures, or to alternative measures demonstrated to be reasonably sufficient to mitigate the risk of failure; and 3) notify PSAPs of outages that potentially affect them,” the bureau noted in the public notice. “When the Commission adopted these rules [TR Daily, Dec. 12, 2013], it committed to review them in five years to determine whether they remain technologically appropriate, and both adequate and necessary to ensure the reliability and resiliency of 911 networks. The Bureau invites interested parties to provide comments and other information regarding how effective these provisions have been in practice, and whether these provisions should be modified to adapt to advancements in technology or other changes. The Bureau will use the record from this Public Notice to recommend next steps, if any, for the Commission’s consideration.”

“As a threshold matter, the Bureau seeks comment on the effectiveness of the existing 911 reliability rules. Have the Commission’s 911 reliability requirements for covered 911 service providers been effective in safeguarding the nation’s legacy, transitional, and Next Generation 911 (NG911) networks from preventable outages?” the bureau asked. “Are there examples of specific circuit diversity, central office backup power, and network monitoring measures that have been taken because of the Commission’s 911 reliability rules? Do the Commission’s current 911 reliability requirements adequately encompass transitional and NG911 networks? What are the most effective measures that covered 911 service providers have implemented to prevent and mitigate outages in networks that include transitional or NG911 elements? Commenters are also invited to submit any information or materials that demonstrate improvements in 911 network reliability since the 911 reliability rules’ effective date, including any contribution by the rules to those improvements. If the rules have not resulted in measurable improvements to 911 reliability, how should the Commission change these requirements?” Continue reading →

States Look to Mississippi’s Efforts on Illegal Robocalls

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Illegal robocalls are becoming more of an issue, which is why states such as Mississippi are stepping up their investigations and enforcement actions, and are starting to see some success in addressing the issue.

A robocall investigator from the Mississippi Public Service Commission shared with other state commissioners his state’s process to go after illegal robocallers during a morning discussion at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners 2018 Summer Policy Summit.

There are an estimated 30 billion robocalls being made each year, and unwanted calls are the number one consumer complaint to the FCC and to state commissions.  Commissioner Chris Nelson, a member of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, said recent reports show that the number of robocalls is up 40 percent this year compared to last year.

“Robocalls are the bane of telecommunications,” Commissioner Nelson said. “I have an itch and a passion to help fix this particular problem.  People have probably thrown away their landlines because of this issue more than any other issue. It’s a shame that people think that the only way to get rid of robocalls is to get rid of their telephones.” Continue reading →

FCC to Hold Tribal Workshop in Wisconsin

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The FCC announced today that it plans to hold a tribal workshop July 31 on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in Wisconsin. The event is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and “will include an introduction about the mission and work of the Commission and a presentation on the process for challenging areas initially deemed ineligible for universal service funding in the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) reverse auction.

There will also be presentations on other Commission proceedings and programs of Tribal interest, including overviews of the Universal Service Fund, the Tribal Radio Priority, and the Tribal Engagement Obligation. In addition, there will be an opportunity for government-to-government consultations with Tribal leaders or their designees in a collaborative and constructive environment,” a public notice said.

 

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, July 11, 2018

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PTT Interoperability—Sweet Spot for FirstNet?

First, let me be very clear, this is NOT about Mission-Critical PTT (which may someday be available and used for dispatch, day-to-day patrols, and local incidents). This is about FirstNet as a platform to provide interoperable push-to-talk during multi-jurisdictional incidents that is in keeping with the premise that motivated the public safety community and others to seek a solution for interoperable communications starting in the 1990s and culminating with the law creating FirstNet, setting aside the D-Block for additional broadband spectrum, and providing a starter kit of $7 billion.

The primary purpose of FirstNet has always been to provide interoperable communications between and among agencies that have different Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems and, therefore, cannot communicate directly with others at the same incident. This lack of interoperability has been a problem for more than thirty years and even after 911, Katrina, and Sandy revealed to the public, the press, and elected officials that there was a huge problem, it still took the public safety community with support from others until 2012 to establish FirstNet and another five years to become a reality.

FirstNet was designed to provide interoperable data and video, with voice to remain on LMR for many years to come. However, during the time FirstNet was organizing and issuing its RFP for a commercial partner, there were a number of developments in the world of Push-To-Talk voice. The first was that companies such as Qualcomm (QChat), Kodiak (now owned by Motorola), Harris, and ESChat entered the market to provide PTT over broadband.

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