Press Release

Sens Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Internet Exchange (IX) Act (S 1166), which will help to improve internet access for consumers, especially those in rural areas. Internet Exchanges (IXs) are physical locations where networks come together – they allow subscribers of different internet service providers to communicate with one another.

Thanks to President Donald Trump, America is now leading the global race to deploy secure and reliable 5G. President Trump’s policies empower the wireless industry to innovate and invest in America’s 5G capabilities, further bolstering our economy and creating millions of jobs.

On April 12, the Federal Communications Commission announced a plan for promoting 5G which includes the nation’s largest spectrum auction in Dec 2019 and the promised future creation of a $20.4 billion rural broadband investment fund, “The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund,” to help close the digital divide. Harold Feld said, "April 12’s announcement raises many questions. Most importantly, where will this money come from and over how many years?

Sen Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced comprehensive federal privacy legislation to protect American consumers’ personal information. The Privacy Bill of Rights Act would establish rules for both online and offline companies and bans the use of individuals’ personal information for harmful, discriminatory purposes, such as housing and employment advertisements targeted based on demographics like race and gender.

The Federal Communications Commission eliminated a rule that would have imposed a nearly 50% increase in local telephone rates for many rural consumers on July 1. Known as the “rate floor,” the 2011 rule was aimed at limiting universal service support received by rural carriers whose rates are below a set minimum rate. However, the practical effect of the rate floor has been to artificially raise telephone rates for many rural Americans, including elderly and low-income Americans, and consumers who keep a phone for limited purposes, such as 911 calls.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the proposed application and bidding procedures for the third 5G spectrum auction (Auction 103). This auction of airwaves in the Upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz spectrum bands will be the largest spectrum auction in our nation’s history. It will make available high frequency millimeter wave spectrum which will promote the development of 5G, the Internet of Things, and other advanced spectrum-based services.

The Federal Communications Commission granted certain telephone companies relief from regulations. In response to a petition filed by USTelecom, the FCC using its authority under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to forbear from enforcing rules and statutory provisions that are no longer needed to protect the public interest, the FCC therefore decided to:

The Federal Communications Commission eliminated two rules pertaining to cable operators’ channel lineups. Specifically, it eliminated a rule which requires cable operators to maintain at their local office a current listing of the cable television channels that each cable system delivers to its subscribers. Secondly, it eliminated the requirement that certain cable operators make their channel lineup available through their FCC-hosted online public inspection file.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed to update its rule for over-the-air reception devices to help spur 5G deployment. As it stands, the Commission prohibits certain state and local restrictions that unreasonably impair the ability of users to deploy small, next-generation networking devices on their own property. However, the current rule does not reflect the shifts in the wireless infrastructure landscape for the development of 5G networks and technologies.

The Federal Communications Commission continued its efforts to make millimeter wave spectrum available for 5G, the Internet of Things, and other advanced spectrum-based services, including satellite broadband services. The Fifth Report and Order adopted takes two actions. First, the Commission adopted rules to allow Fixed-Satellite Service earth stations to be individually licensed to transmit in the 50 GHz spectrum band. This action will allow Fixed-Satellite Service operators to provide faster, more advanced services to their customers.