Telecom Alert - $600 Million for Rural Broadband; Wireless Infrastructure Order; Hawaii False Missile Alert Hearing; Signal Booster Restrictions Lifted; 4.9 GHz Band - Vol. XV, Issue 13
Federal Budget Allocates $600 Million for Rural Broadband
Congress passed a bipartisan omnibus spending package last week just in time to prevent another government shutdown. President Trump signed the bill into law on March 23, 2018. Funding for infrastructure was an important piece of the package, including $600 million allocated to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for rural broadband grants and loans. The budget also included the RAY BAUMS Act (Vol. XV, Issue 11) and the MOBILE NOW Act (Vol. XIV, Issue 32).
FCC Adopts Wireless Infrastructure Streamlining Report and Order
On March 22, 2018, the Commission adopted the Wireless Infrastructure Streamlining Report and Order at the FCC’s March Open Meeting. The final text has not been released, but a draft circulated earlier in March exempted small cell deployments from NHPA and NEPA review, updated the tribal review process, and included an agency “shot clock” for processing Environmental Assessments (Vol. XIV, Issue 10). Simultaneously, both the House and Senate have introduced the RAPID Act, which also aims to streamline the NHPA/NEPA process. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
FCC Seeks to Increase Use of 4.9 GHz Band
The FCC adopted a Sixth Further NPRM to address expansion and investment concerns for the 50 MHz of spectrum in the 4.9 GHz band allocated exclusively to public safety communications. Currently, 90,000 licenses are available in the 4.9 GHz band, but only 3.5% are being utilized by public safety entities. The Commission seeks comment on alternatives to encourage use and investment in the band. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
Hawaii False Missile Alert Hearing
The Senate Commerce Committee has announced the date for a field hearing in Hawaii. The hearing will be held April 5 and will address the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. It will focus specifically on the false missile alert that occurred in January (Vol. XV, Issue 4).
Personal Use Restrictions Lifted for Signal Boosters
The FCC adopted a Second Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which eliminates personal use restrictions on consumer signal boosters for businesses, public safety entities, educational institutions, and other consumers who could benefit from amplifying wireless signals. The FNPRM proposes further actions to increase usefulness and effectiveness of signal boosters. This follows a 2013 FCC ruling, which restricted boosters exclusively to personal use and specific spectrum bands. The changes are intended to improve wireless coverage in rural areas where cell signals are weak. For more information, please contact Greg Kunkle (kunkle@khlaw.com; 202.434.4178).
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Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert is a complimentary weekly electronic update created by the Telecommunications Practice Group 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 © 2017. 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.