Telecom Business Alert – 3.5 GHz Band; Tower Safety; Connecticut Pole Attachment Dispute; IoT Comment Deadline, Vol XIII, Issue 21
3.5 GHz Band
In a blog post last week, FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Jon Wilkins and the Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology Julius Knapp announced that eight entities filed proposals to become certified Spectrum Access Systems (SAS) Administrators and Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) operators. The SAS and ESC systems will facilitate access to the FCC’s new Citizens Broadband Radio Service to be implemented in the 3.5 GHz band (Vol. XIII, Issue 18). The SAS will maximize the number of users able to operate within a given area at a given time, while the ESC is the technological solution that will enable new commercial use in coastal areas while protecting important federal radar operations. For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (kunkle@khlaw.com; 202.434.4178).
Tower Safety
OSHA recently announced it plans to revise its rules governing communication tower safety, including fall protection and RF exposures, beginning with a July 2016 small business panel review of draft changes. For more information, please contact or email our workplace safety practice at OSHA@khlaw.com.
Connecticut Pole Attachment Dispute
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) will hold a technical meeting on June 1 to discuss a pole attachment dispute between Comcast of Connecticut, Inc. and The United Illuminating Company (UI). Comcast requested PURA assistance , claiming UI has imposed new requirements to handle overlash requests. For more information, please contact Tom Magee (magee@khlaw.com; 202.434.4128).
Internet of Things Comment Deadline Extended
In April, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a Notice and Request for Public Comment initiating an inquiry into the Internet of Things (IoT) (Vol. XIII, Issue 16). NTIA is seeking input on the potential benefits and challenges of IoT and what role, if any, the Federal Government should play. Earlier this month, NTIA extended the Comment due date to June 2, 2016.
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Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert is a complimentary weekly electronic update created by the Telecommunications and the Business Counseling and Transactional practice groups of Keller and Heckman LLP. All articles, videos, and quotations are on topics of general interest and do not constitute legal advice for particularized facts. Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert © 2015. All rights reserved. Articles may be copied with attribution. To sign up for our weekly alert, please send us an email at telecomalert@khlaw.com and provide us with your name and email. Please follow us on Twitter at @KHtelecom.