FCC

APCO Seeks Clarifications in Draft WEA Item

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Although a draft order circulated this week for tentative consideration at the FCC’s Jan. 30 meeting would not mandate improved geo-targeting by May 2019 (TR Daily, Jan. 9), as public safety entities had sought, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International expressed support for the draft second report and order in an ex parte filing today in PS docket 15-91. However, APCO asked the FCC to clarify portions of the item.

The draft order would mandate enhanced geo-targeting by Nov. 30, 2019.  Carriers would have “to deliver alerts to an area that matches the target area specified by the alert originator, specifically by delivering the alert to 100 percent of the target area that overlaps with the wireless provider’s network coverage area, with no more than 0.1 mile overshoot.” CTIA has asked the FCC to give the industry 36 months to implement the enhancement.

In its filing today, APCO said, “The proposed enhancements to geo-targeting and alert message preservation will make our communities safer and improve public safety operations around the country. Based on the record that has developed in this proceeding, requiring the proposed enhancements by November 30, 2019, is reasonable and technically feasible.” Continue reading →

FCC Seeks Comment on Lifeline Petition

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The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau solicited comment today on a petition for clarification and waiver filed by the Alaska Telephone Association of certain Lifeline minimum service standards. “In its petition, ATA requests that the Commission clarify and waive certain Commission rules relating to the Lifeline minimum service standards for mobile broadband service and fixed broadband service in remote areas in Alaska,” the bureau observed in a public notice. Comments are due Feb. 12 and replies Feb. 26 in WC dockets 11-42, 09-197, and 10-90.

Courtesy TRDaily

Senators Support Draft WEA Order

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Sens. Kamala D. Harris (D., Calif.) and Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) have praised the FCC for circulating for consideration at its Jan. 30 meeting a draft order that would set a November 2019 deadline for carriers to improve geo-targeting of wireless emergency alerts (TR Daily, Jan. 9). “Californians are still recovering from some of the most devastating natural disasters in our state’s history. Part of that recovery must include assessing what can be done to prevent loss of life the next time a devastating series of wildfires, mudslides, or earthquakes, strike,” they said in a joint statement.

“Timely emergency notifications on mobile devices can save lives. Enhanced geo-targeting of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system would allow communities to more effectively alert residents of danger and give them more time to evacuate. We are pleased to see action on these concerns that we raised months ago to the Commission. The phones we carry with us everywhere we go have improved our lives in so many ways, they should also be able to alert us of an impending emergency.”

Courtesy TRDaily

 

 

FCC Seeking to Split Difference in WEA Mandate Timeline

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A second report and order circulated yesterday for tentative consideration at the FCC’s Jan. 30 meeting indicates that the agency does not fully support the deployment timelines suggested either by the wireless industry or public safety entities for improving the geographic accuracy of wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) (TR Daily, Jan. 9). CTIA had suggested that the FCC give the industry 36 months from the effective date of an order to deploy enhanced geo-targeting, while public safety entities said such an upgrade should be implemented by May 2019.

“We require Participating CMS Providers to comply with this requirement by November 30, 2019,” the draft order in PS dockets 15-91 and 15-94 says. “CSRIC V proposed a timetable of 42 months after the adoption of a Commission Order requiring precise geo-targeting, which would translate into July 2021. The WEA FNPRM proposed a similar compliance deadline. But emergency managers indicate that ‘improvements to geo-targeting are critical to the future success of the WEA system’ because of the problems associated with over-alerting and subscriber opt-out and strongly urge implementation on a faster timetable. AT&T, Verizon, and AC&C agree that earlier compliance is feasible. Verizon and AC&C observe that industry is already in the early stages of developing technical standards to support device-based geo-targeting, and ATIS is expected to complete its analysis of device support for this requirement by June 30, 2018. Verizon and AT&T agree that compliance is feasible in a shorter timeframe than the Commission proposed, given the approach we describe here. We accordingly believe an earlier deadline than originally contemplated is both necessary and feasible.

“CTIA states that 36 months is an achievable timeline for implementation of enhanced geo-targeting, and indicates that legacy and existing devices may be capable of supporting enhanced geo-targeting in less than 36 months. Public safety officials, however, state that ‘a 36-month implementation timeline is simply too long given the current and future threat environment’ and urge the Commission to adopt a May 2019 compliance deadline. We find the 36-month timeframe suggested by Participating CMS Providers to lack the kind of precise and detailed justification necessary to outweigh the urgent need for precise geo-targeting articulated by public safety,” the draft order says. Continue reading →

FCC to Consider WEA, CAF-II, Economic Office Items Jan. 30

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The FCC is tentatively scheduled to consider seven items at its Jan. 30 meeting, including those upgrading wireless emergency alerts (WEAs), addressing Connect America Fund Phase II issues, and creating a new Office of Economic and Analytics (OEA). The agency also tentatively plans to consider Media Bureau items dealing with eliminating a requirement on the submission of paper copies of contracts and other documents and the deleting obsolete digital TV transition rules. An Enforcement Bureau item, for which no details were provided, was also on the tentative agenda released this afternoon.

A fact sheet on the WEA item in PS docket 15-91 noted that a draft second report and order would “[r]equire participating wireless providers to deliver alerts to an area that matches the target area specified by the alert originator, specifically by delivering the alert to 100 percent of the target area that overlaps with the wireless provider’s network coverage area, with no more than 0.1 mile overshoot. This enhanced geo-targeting requirement would go into effect November 30, 2019.”

It also would “[r]equire participating wireless providers to ‘best approximate’ the target area where their network infrastructure or where the mobile device is technically incapable of matching the specified target area.” In addition, the item would “[r]equire that WEA-capable mobile devices preserve alert messages in a consumer-accessible format and location for at least 24 hours after the alert is received on the device. This requirement would also go into effect November 30, 2019.”

The item also would (1) “[d]efine participation in WEA ‘in whole’ as when wireless providers agree to transmit WEA alert messages in the entirety of their geographic service area, and when all mobile devices that they offer at the point of sale are WEA-capable”; and (2) “[d]efine participation in WEA ‘in part’ as when wireless providers agree to transmit WEA alert messages in some, but not all, of their geographic service area, or when not all mobile devices that they offer at the point of sale are WEA-capable.”

A draft second order on reconsideration would “[a]lign the effective date for supporting Spanish-language alert messages with the deadline for extending the length of alert messages from 90 to 360 characters; the new compliance deadline for supporting Spanish-language alerts would therefore be May 1, 2019.”

In 2016, the FCC adopted an order requiring the additional WEA capabilities while seeking comments on additional improvements, including more precise geo-targeting (TR Daily, Sept. 29, 2016). Continue reading →

FCC to Consider WEA Order at Jan. 30 Meeting

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FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today circulated a draft order for consideration at the agency’s Jan. 30 meeting to upgrade wireless emergency alert (WEA) geo-targeting capabilities. The item proposes a Nov. 30, 2019, deadline for wireless carriers to be able to geo-target WEAs more precisely, which would provide more time than sought by public safety entities but less time than the wireless industry wants, an agency source told TR Daily.

Also circulated today for the Jan. 30 meeting was a draft order that would establish a new Office of Economics and Analytics at the FCC, which Mr. Pai has said he wanted to create. It would have the following divisions: economic analysis, industry analysis, auctions, and data, the agency source said. Also circulated were two Media Bureau items. One deals with the deletion of a rule from the digital TV transition while the other deals with the filing of contracts. An enforcement item was also circulated, as were a Connect America Fund Phase II auction procedures public notice and order on reconsideration (see separate story).

The draft items circulated for the Jan. 30 meeting are to be publicly released tomorrow. Continue reading →

Firm to Buy AT&T 600 MHz Band Licenses

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AT&T, Inc., has agreed to sell 16 of the 23 600 megahertz band licenses it won in the FCC’s incentive auction. LB License Co. LLC wants to buy the licenses, which cover markets such as San Francisco, Baltimore-Washington, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, and Seattle. “LB License Co is headed by a management team with extensive wireless operations expertise backed by sophisticated or institutional investors with deep experience in the telecommunications sector,” according to a public interest statement.

“For example, Columbia Capital and Telcom Ventures have more than $4 billion in combined capital under management and have been active investors in the wireless, satellite, and media industries. Columbia Capital and Telcom Ventures were lead investors in MetroPCS Communications, Inc., XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc., and other mobile services businesses.” Monish Kundra, a Columbia Capital partner, is listed on the transfer application as vice president of LB Spectrum Holdings LLC, which is LB License Co.’s parent company.

Courtesy TRDaily

Public Safety Groups Seeks WEA Improvements by May 2019

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Five public safety and municipal groups urged the FCC today to mandate several wireless emergency alert (WEA) improvements by May 2019.

“As you are likely aware, the emergency management and public safety community have been working with the Federal Communications Commission and wireless industry partners on improving the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system to support the nation’s evolving emergency messaging needs. The requested enhancements include, improved geo-targeting, multimedia alerting, ‘many-to-one’ feedback, and multilingual alerting,” the groups said in a letter to FCC Commissioners submitted in PS docket 15-91. “All of the organizations that have signed on to this letter appreciate the efforts the Commission and the industry have taken thus far but write today, in light of recent emergencies, to underscore the critical need for these improvements to be instituted no later than May of 2019. Many of the requested enhancements have been under discussion for the last several years, some longer, and it is now time for action.”

The letter was signed by Big City Emergency Managers, the National Emergency Management Association, the International Association of Emergency Managers, the National Emergency Number Association, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Regarding device-based geo-targeting, the groups said, “The ability to geo-target WEA is a necessity for public safety to effectively protect its citizens. Phones are capable of precise geo-targeting today and WEA must have access to these capabilities. Without the ability to geo-target our alert originators will continue to use WEA sparingly or not at all. This is a shame. An effective WEA can literally mean the difference between life and death. We encourage you to establish a deadline to implement device-based geo-targeting no later than May of 2019. In conversations with the carriers it is clear that an accuracy of 1/10th of a mile is feasible. Continue reading →

Industry, Public Safety Disagree on WEA Upgrade Timeline

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– TR Daily, January 4, 2018

The wireless industry and public safety entities disagree on how quickly carriers should deploy improved wireless emergency alert (WEA) geo-targeting capabilities, with the industry saying it needs 36 months to implement the upgrade and public safety entities calling on the FCC to mandate the improvements within 17 months. The FCC is expected to consider an order in the proceeding at its Jan. 30 meeting. 

In an ex parte filing last month in PS docket 15-91, CTIA laid out a proposed implementation plan for targeting wireless devices more precisely, excluding devices that are more than one-tenth of a mile from the target area. The trade group submitted the filing after industry and public safety representatives met with FCC staffers.

But CTIA said, “The industry parties believe that integration of new enhanced WEA geo-targeting capabilities into devices and networks will require no less than 36 months from the effective date of new FCC rules. The industry parties noted that, in the interim, existing WEA geo-targeting capabilities will continue to provide a meaningful level of geo-targeting in many emergency situations.”

But public safety groups and localities say that’s too slow and that the enhanced geo-targeting should be deployed by May 2019. Among entities recently submitting ex parties to support such a deadline are the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International; Harris County, Texas; San Diego and San Bernardino counties in California; and New York City.

“A 36-month implementation timeline is simply too long given the threat environment that local emergency management and public safety officials are operating in,” the New York City Emergency Management Department said in a recent filing.

“Failure to roll out improvements by May 2019 is irresponsible to the citizens that we are charged to serve and protect,” Harris County said in another filing. “It will erode the trust of wireless alert originators to send a timely, precise message when life or death may be on the line.”

In the wake of massive wildfires in California, Sens. Kamala D. Harris (D., Calif.) and Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) also have urged the Commission to promptly mandate precise geo-targeting, noting that WEA was not helpful in notifying residents of the fires due to a lack of such precise targeting (TR Daily, Oct. 17, 2017).

In 2016, the FCC adopted an order requiring the additional WEA capabilities while seeking comments on additional improvements, including more precise geo-targeting (TR Daily, Sept. 29, 2016).

In November (TR Daily, Nov. 2, 2017), FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the FCC “should be able to move forward soon on improving WEA’s capabilities for geo-targeting alerts more precisely. The FCC’s staff has been carefully studying the record compiled in response to last year’s NPRM, and I intend to provide my colleagues with a proposal for action in the near future.” —Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com