Coming Home: August FCC Meeting Agenda

Leading off our August agenda will be 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity. We’ll finalize the rules for the auction of airwaves in the 28 GHz band and the auction of the 24 GHz band, which will follow immediately afterward.  These will be the first auctions of high-band spectrum for 5G services, but they won’t be the last.  Specifically, I’m excited to announce my plan to move forward with a single auction of three more millimeter-wave spectrum bands—the 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands—in the second half of 2019.  To help facilitate that auction on this timeline, I’m proposing rules to clean up the 39 GHz band and move incumbents into rationalized license holdings.  As part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking we will consider at the Federal Communications Commission’s August meeting, I’m also proposing to have 100 MHz license blocks for the 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands, so they can more easily be auctioned together. We’ll also have to make network deployment—and in particular the smaller, denser infrastructure of 5G networks—easier.  I’ve circulated an order that would adopt this so-called “one-touch-make-ready” policy while at the same time ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect existing attachments and worker safety.  The order that we we’ll vote on at our August meeting also makes clear that it is contrary to Federal law for states or localities to put in place moratoria on network buildout.

I’ve asked Commissioner Carr to lead the FCC’s effort to explore ways the Commission can promote connected care everywhere.  We’ll formalize this at our August meeting, where we’ll be considering a Notice of Inquiry that would seek comment on a Universal Service Fund pilot program to support the delivery of telehealth services to low-income Americans, with a focus on services delivered beyond brick-and-mortar healthcare facilities.

In RAY BAUM’s Act, Congress authorized the Commission to reimburse certain low power television and television translator stations, as well as FM radio stations, for costs incurred as a result of the post-incentive auction broadcast television repack.  And today, I’m circulating a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which seeks comment on rules to implement Congress’ directive. Our goal is to provide funds efficiently while at the same time ensuring that there are robust safeguards against waste, fraud, and abuse.

Rounding out our August meeting agenda, we’ll vote on establishing the requirements that will govern our broadcast “incubator” program.