Public Notice

The Federal Communications Commission authorized over $4.9 billion in support over the next decade for maintaining, improving, and expanding affordable rural broadband for 455,334 homes and businesses served by 171 carriers in 39 states and American Samoa, including 44,243 locations on Tribal lands. The support is targeted to smaller rural carriers, traditionally known as “rate-of-return” carriers.

The Federal Communications Commission authorized nearly $16.2 million in federal funding over the next decade to expand broadband to 8,088 unserved rural New York homes and businesses, the second round of matching funds being provided in a partnership with the state’s New NY Broadband Program. The New York federal funding applications authorized today are as follows:

The Federal Communications Commission authorized over $121 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to 36,579 unserved rural homes and businesses in 16 states, representing the fourth wave of support from 2018’s successful Connect America Fund Phase II auction. The FCC has already authorized three waves of funding in May, June, and July. Aug 12's action brings total authorized funding to over $924 million, expanding connectivity to 342,097 homes and businesses; additional rounds will be authorized in the coming months.

By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission announces that Gov Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Chair of the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC), has named Ben Blink, Policy Advisor, Transportation and Technology Innovation, as his new designee to the IAC, replacing Kirk Adams, prior designee. The IAC provides guidance, expertise, and recommendations to specific requests from the FCC on a range of issues affecting local, state, and Tribal governments that are within the jurisdiction of the FCC.
 

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on the proposed eligible services list (ESL) for the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism (more commonly known as the E-Rate program) for funding year 2020. The Bureau invites stakeholders to comment on any aspect of the proposed FY2020 ESL.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration sent guidance to executive branch departments and agencies for reviewing current spectrum frequency assignments. NTIA is requiring agencies to initially review two bands: 3100-3550 MHz and 7125-8400 MHz. The agencies must provide the information over the next six to nine months. NTIA will then solicit input from the agencies and other stakeholders on the next set of bands to be reviewed on a recurring and rolling basis. The data collection efforts include four components.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Economics and Analytics and the Office of the Managing Director update the FCC’s Information Quality Guidelines as required by the Data Quality Act, with guidance from the Office of Management and Budget. The guidelines will provide guidance to staff and information to the public about the FCC’s policies and procedures.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks nominations to fill three Tribal vacancies on the Native Nations Communications Task Force.  Members appointed by the FCC Chairman to fill the vacancies will serve through the end of the Task Force’s current three-year term, which runs through October 2021. The Task Force’s mission is to make recommendations to the FCC on communications-related issues that affect Tribal interests.

The Federal Communications Commission's 2016 Lifeline Order established minimum service standards for certain Lifeline-supported services and either established annual increases in those standards in the FCC’s rules or directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to update the minimum service standards pursuant to calculations set out in the Order and the FCC’s rules. Accordingly, the Bureau announces the newly calculated minimum service standards for fixed and mobile broadband. These standards will take effect on December 1, 2019.

The Federal Communications Commission's Office of Economics and Analytics, in consultation with the Wireline Competition Bureau, launched the urban rate survey for 2020. The information collected in this survey will be used to develop voice and broadband reasonable comparability benchmarks that will be in place in 2020. The FCC will be collecting the rates offered by a random sample of providers of fixed services identified using December 2018 FCC Form 477 data. The FCC will collect separate samples for fixed voice and fixed broadband services with up to 500 urban Census tracts in each.