Tuesday, May 21, 2019
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Digital Rights and Privacy on Today's Agenda
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As we’ve made our case for the New T-Mobile, we’ve been listening to the Federal Communications Commission and many others. We submitted a set of commitments to the FCC around the New T-Mobile to address what we’ve heard. Ultimately, the commitments are about our shared goal to put the US at the forefront of 5G innovation, driving massive economic growth, helping bridge the Digital Divide, creating more competition, and of course, giving consumers and businesses more for less.
- 5G Deliverables In three years, we’ve committed that the New T-Mobile will cover 97% of the US population with 5G on low-band spectrum and 75% of the population with 5G on mid-band spectrum. That will grow to 99% of the US population covered with low-band 5G in six years and 88% with mid-band 5G. We also established milestones to cover 85% of rural America with 5G on low-band spectrum in three years and 90% in six years. Within three years of closing, New T-Mobile will deliver 50 Mbps or higher to two-thirds of the rural population and 100 Mbps or higher to over half the rural population.
- In-home broadband We’ve also made clear commitments around in-home broadband (minimum speeds of 25 Mbps/3Mpbs, average speeds above 100 Mbps downlink, competitive service pricing, no router charge, no installation charge, no contract). The number of supported rural households will be approximately 300,000 more within three years and approximately 400,000 more within six years. Within three years of closing, New T-Mobile will market the in-home service to 9.6 million eligible households, of which at least 2.6 million are rural household. Within six years of closing, New T-Mobile will market its in-home broadband service to at least 28 million eligible households, of which 5.6 million are rural.
- Divestiture of Sprint's Boost pre-paid business to a third party
- Same or Better Prices The New T-Mobile will deliver the same or better rate plans at the same or better prices for three years. And that includes 5G.
[John Legere is CEO of T-Mobile US]
Two of the Federal Communications Commission’s top priorities are closing the digital divide in rural America and advancing United States leadership in 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity. The commitments made today by T-Mobile and Sprint would substantially advance each of these critical objectives.
T-Mobile and Sprint have guaranteed that 90% of Americans would have access to mobile broadband service at speeds of at least 100 Mbps and 99% would have access to speeds of at least 50 Mbps. I’m also pleased that the companies have committed to a robust buildout of their mid-band spectrum holdings. Demonstrating that 5G will indeed benefit rural Americans, T-Mobile and Sprint have promised that their network would cover at least two-thirds of our nation’s rural population with highspeed, mid-band 5G, which could improve the economy and quality of life in many small towns across the country. It’s also important that the companies would suffer serious consequences if they fail to follow through on their commitments to the FCC. These consequences, which could include total payments to the US Treasury of billions of dollars, create a powerful incentive for the companies to meet their commitments on time.
In light of the significant commitments made by T-Mobile and Sprint as well as the facts in the record to date, I believe that this transaction is in the public interest and intend to recommend to my colleagues that the FCC approve it. This is a unique opportunity to speed up the deployment of 5G throughout the United States and bring much faster mobile broadband to rural Americans. We should seize this opportunity.
I support the combination of T-Mobile and Sprint because Americans across the country will see more competition and an accelerated buildout of fast, 5G services. The proposed transaction will strengthen competition in the US wireless market and provide mobile and in-home broadband access to communities that demand better coverage and more choices. Today’s commitments to bring 5G to rural America are verifiable and enforceable. The proposed transaction’s investment in rural 5G will help close the digital divide—this FCC’s top priority. American leadership in 5G depends on giving all communities a fair shot at next-gen access. I am pleased that the parties have agreed to invest in securing the US’s preeminence in 5G. Approving this combination will help the US notch another win in the global race to 5G.
Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O'Rielly tweeted:
While I generally withhold all comments regarding pending or prospective mergers, I find it necessary to clarify, at this time, that I am inclined to support T-Mobile/Sprint proposed merger, even if not convinced of the need for all the newly announced conditions being proposed.
Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel tweeted,
We've seen this kind of consolidation in airlines and with drug companies. But now the @FCC wants to bless the same kind of consolidation for wireless carriers. I have serious doubts. I'm reviewing the conditions that have been proposed by the carriers and blessed by my colleagues. You should have the right to do so, too. The @FCC should put them out for comment so the public can tell us just what they think about this new proposal.
Apparently, the Justice Department is leaning against approving T-Mobile's proposed takeover of Sprint, even after the companies won the backing of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. The remedies proposed by the wireless carriers on May 20 don’t go far enough to resolve the department’s concerns that the deal risks harming competition, apparently. While the FCC considers whether a merger is in the public interest, the Justice Department considers a different standard: whether a deal hurts competition and would raise prices for consumers.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Acting Chief Neil Jacobs told the House Subcommittee on the Environment that 5G deployments using 24 GHz spectrum could negatively impact weather forecasting. Use of 24 GHz spectrum for mobile 5G could reduce the accuracy of weather forecasts by 30%, sending us back in time to the 1980s. Meteorologists use sensors to detect faint radio frequency signals emitted by atmospheric conditions. Meteorological satellites monitor various frequencies to collect data and predict weather. For example, water vapor emits signals at a frequency of 23.8 GHz, according to Jordan Gerth, a research meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin. Meteorologists use frequency bands between 36 GHz and 37 GHz to detect rain and snow, between 50.2 GHz and 50.4 GHz to detect atmospheric temperatures, and between 80 GHz and 90 GHz to detect clouds and ice, Gerth said. In his testimony, Jacobs said the FCC’s current plans for 5G spectrum use would result in 77% of weather data collected by NOAA satellites being lost to interference from cellular 5G transmitters.
As anticipation grows for 5G technology to be rolled out in big cities, nearly 15 million people in rural pockets across the country are still waiting for reliable high-speed internet. In the southeast, some states like Alabama are desperate to get their rural areas up to speed. In 2018 Gov Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed a rural internet bill into law that offered electric co-ops and telecommunications companies grant money in exchange for infrastructure investments in some of the state’s rural areas with little to no access to high-speed internet. Georgia and Mississippi have also jumped on board. Both states passed legislation in 2019 to give electric co-ops the authority to install, offer and expand broadband services to customers in rural areas of those states.
Legislative changes are helping electric cooperatives continue to expand high-quality Internet access in rural parts of America. At least three state governments have bills in the works that empower cooperatives to provide high-speed Internet service in their service territories. Gov Brian Kemp (R-GA) recently signed into law SB 2 and SB 17, which clarify that both electric and telephone cooperatives are able to provide broadband service. Gov Larry Hogan (R-MD) has just approved SB 634 which similarly underscores how electric cooperatives can use their easements to provide broadband. Meanwhile in Alabama, HB 400 will codify in existing law that electric cooperatives have the ability to offer broadband service and that their easements are valid for that use.
Arkansas ranks 50th in connectivity and has an average speed of 29.1 megabits per second (Mbps). The average speed for the United States is 42.7 Mbps. But that could soon change. Until recently, the AR legislature preempted local governments from establishing municipal broadband services, leaving AR communities at the mercy of private companies focused on profit. Now, AR is looking to build the infrastructure it needs now for all of its communities, urban and rural. The state’s legislature, with help from the AR Municipal League and other organizations, unanimously passed a bill overturning the state’s eight-year-old municipal broadband preemption law. The bill was signed into law by Gov Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) on March 6. Now, towns in AR can work towards providing their citizens with quality internet access. This has the potential to be a national movement, as other states like Mississippi have taken similar actions.
A Q&A with Wanda Davis, founder of the Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center (ASC3) in Cleveland (OH).
Explaining the work of ASC3, Davis said, " People get their basic training and open lab time. We’ll introduce you to Word, Excel, PowerPoint... We have five sessions per year. Each session is one or two times a week for eight weeks. We also do sessions and open labs at other sites around town. Our goal is to be in 10 sites. We offer free or low-cost refurbished computers and low-cost hotspots with Internet service. We have a call center where graduates do research for businesses for a stipend. We train volunteers for nonprofits. To date, we’ve trained 7,200 people. We’ve had a waiting list all the time." When asked, "Why have a computer center just for seniors?", Davis said, "It’s not really just for seniors. We’ve had people from 17 to 96. Mostly they’re 45 and up. Our motto here is, 'The ability to learn is ageless.' I find the seniors are more eager to dive into technology than some of the younger people. Once you whet their appetite and let them know how valuable tech is, they want to know more and more. I think we’re the only computer center with that target population."
I was particularly encouraged to see that 40 state attorneys general formed a bipartisan Robocall Technologies Working Group. I recently shared with my colleagues my proposal to allow phone companies to establish callblocking services as a default setting for consumers. In addition, carriers would be allowed to offer consumers the option of using their own contact list as a “white list.” Now, my proposals on call-blocking by default and a white list are part of what’s called a Declaratory Ruling. This basically announces what the FCC considers the law in this area to be. In addition to the Declaratory Ruling, I’ve teed up a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to call-blocking. Here, I’m proposing a safe harbor for carriers that block phone calls that aren’t properly authenticated under the caller ID technical framework that’s being developed, called SHAKEN/STIR. Lastly, it’s important to note that these proposals make very clear that emergency and other vital calls cannot be blocked, and that carriers must give consumers ample information about these services and methods. If adopted, we expect carriers to quickly begin offering call-blocking services by default and to work toward more advanced offerings like blocking based on contact lists.
With this Order, the Federal Communications Commission takes necessary steps to provide full funding for all eligible services requested from the Rural Health Care universal service support mechanism (RHC Program) for the 2018 funding year (FY). In FY 2018, multi-year and upfront payment funding requests filed during the window sought support exceeding the $150 million funding cap for those payments. FCC rules would require the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to prorate requested support received by eligible health care providers. To avoid significant pro-rata reductions in support for multi-year and upfront payment requests and to ensure that all eligible funding requests seeking support for services to be delivered in FY 2018 are fully funded, the FCC suspends on its own motion the FCC’s rule allowing for multi-year commitments in the Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF Program) for FY 2018 and direct USAC to process these requests as single-year funding requests. This action will ensure that rural health care providers can continue to obtain critical communications-based technologies for the delivery of health care services to their communities.
Some lawmakers say the federal government should help small US wireless providers rip out and replace their existing Chinese network equipment. The Rural Wireless Association puts the collective price tag at $1 billion. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said he would raise the issue with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and push for a solution in the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We need to provide support to those small and rural communities who have already installed some of this equipment and will need help in covering the costs of removing and replacing it,” he said. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, concurs: “We need to explore incentives not only for these smaller carriers not to use this equipment but in a risk-based way to replace the equipment they’ve installed.”
Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced he will introduce the Do Not Track Act to give control over personal data back to users. The legislation:
- Creates a program similar to the national Do Not Call list that gives every person the power, at a touch of a button, to block online companies from collecting any data beyond what is indispensable to the companies’ online services.
- Prohibits companies from profiling Americans who activate Do Not Track.
- Bans discriminating against people who activate Do Not Track.
- Bans companies from transferring data to other companies when a user activates Do Not Track unless the first company is an intended intermediary.
- Forces Internet companies to disclose to users their rights under this Act.
- Imposes strict penalties for violating these provisions.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is both of the tech world and one of its harshest critics. Viewed from a great distance, Yang’s candidacy has a lot in common with the two political comets that streaked across the 2016 presidential campaign: Donald Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left. Yang runs essentially the same playbook: embracing economic grievance, hammering the tech giants and other darlings of the ‘new economy,’ selling his case directly to the working American. Unlike Trump and Sanders, however, Yang, 44, comes precisely from the same corporate, tech-soaked world he is trying to attack.” Yang’s big policy proposal is universal basic income, called the “freedom dividend,” which would give every American adult a guaranteed monthly $1,000 check. According to Yang, it would be paid for at least in part by taxing big corporations. “We’re going to extract billions of dollars from Jeff,” he said, referring to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org) and Robbie McBeath (rmcbeath AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
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