John Eggerton

House Appropriations Committee OKs CPB Funding Boost

The House Appropriations Committee has proposed to increase funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, approving the recommendation of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, which in April approved a funding boost of $50 million (or about 15%) to $495 million for fiscal year 2022. The subcommittee also approved full funding of $20 million for interconnection and infrastructure, which the full committee also approved.

House Communications Subcommittee Hearing on Robocalls

The House Communications Subcommittee held a hearing on more than six robocall bills, and there was bipartisan momentum for action. Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH), author of one of the bills, talked up the Republican take on robocalls, which is to empower more info sharing between companies and the Federal Communications Commission, provide access to blocking technology, and to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate robocalls.

NATOA to FCC (and NCTA): Text Notifications Don't Cut it

Local franchising officials don't want the Federal Communications Commission to cut cable operators some new tech slack when it comes to how they send mandatory notifications to customers about service and rate changes. The FCC is considering whether to allow notifications by electronic means other than e-mails, like texts or app-based notifications or via the TV. It has concluded that notice must not simply be any method "reasonably calculate" to reach subscribers.

FCC Reveals Losing Bids, Bidders in TV Incentive Auction

All those TV station employees wondering whether they dodged a bullet in the 2017 broadcast incentive auction can now search for that information. The Federal Communications Commission has made that information public, plus more data on the reverse auction, after placing a two-year hold on publicizing which broadcasters got outbid. The information shows that there were 858 stations willing to give up spectrum, or a little under half of the 1,800 stations the FCC was interested in getting bids from.

USAC to Commissioner O'Rielly: E-Rate Overbuilds Are OK

On April 1, Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) CEO Radha Sekar wrote to Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O'Rielly to respond to his concerns that E-rate funds may be used to potentially overbuild fiber networks. Specifically, Commissioner O'Rielly had written to Sekar in March seeking answers as to whether government broadband subsidies should be used to subsidize wide area networks (WANS) where government subsidies have already been used to lay fiber as well as how many of those were being subsidized.

Fight for the Future Seeks Senate GOP Commitments on Net Neutrality Bill

With the Save the Internet Act, a bill to restore network neutrality, having passed the House, activists at Fight for the Future are looking to get enough Republican Senators on board to push it through the Senate. In the last Congress, before the Democrats regained control of the House, the Congressional Review Act aimed at rolling back the deregulatory Restoring Internet Freedom Order narrowly passed the Senate with the help of independents who caucus with the Democrats and three Republicans: Sens John Kennedy (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AR) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

Senate Tries to Get a Read on Broadband Mapping

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on how the Federal Communications Commission collects and maps data on the availability of broadband connectivity. Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) said it was crucial to have accurate broadband maps on where broadband is and isn't available at certain speeds if the country wants to close the digital divide, and that inaccurate maps waste money and stifle opportunity for economic development in rural areas. He wanted to know how long the FCC's data collection process (form 477) had been deficient.

NCTA Elaborates on its Broadband Mapping Alternative

NCTA-The Internet & Television Association has provided the Federal Communications Commission with some more details about its proposal to improve broadband deployment data, which the FCC collects from carriers to determine if advanced telecommunications is being deployed in a reasonable and timely manner. NCTA wants to get more granular data by using "shape files", rather than the current census blocks, that illustrate the actual contours of service.

House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on FCC Budget

During questioning at the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on the Federal Communications Commission's budget, the FCC got some praise for their handling of the post-broadcast incentive auction repack. Ranking Member Tom Graves (R-GA) said that he thought getting the repack right was a case of everyone working together productively to help guide Congress on "the proper steps to take" to get to a final product." Rep Mark Amodei (R-NV) said, "The agency has been phenomenally cooperative and a standout in my experience in eight years here.

Net Neutrality Bill Clears Second Hurdle After Marathon Markup

After over nine hours of debate over mostly failed amendments, and delays, legislation that would re-regulate internet access by reinstating the Federal Communications Commission's 2015 Open Internet Order's Title II-based net neutrality rules is on its way to a vote in the full House, where it is likely to pass. An amended version of the Save the Internet Act (HR 1644) was approved by the House Commerce Committee on a party-line vote.