The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics invite interested parties to supplement the record to address issues raised by commenters in response to the FCC's July 2018 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in GN Docket No. 18-122. The FCC sought comment on several approaches, including auction-based approaches, for making some or all of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (C-Band) available for terrestrial, flexible use. The FCC also sought comment on other issues essential to the introduction of new terrestrial wireless services in the band, including incumbent protection criteria, technical and licensing rules, and appropriate methodologies for transitioning or protecting existing Fixed Satellite Service and Fixed Service operators in the band. Now the FCC seeks additional comment on proposals from: (1) ACA Connects – America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects), the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), Charter Communications, Inc. (Charter) (collectively, ACA Connects Coalition); (2) AT&T; and (3) the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA), Google, and Microsoft.

1. The ACA Connects Coalition, which collectively represents both incumbent C-band earth station users and wireless providers that seek to use this spectrum to provide 5G services, recently submitted a joint proposal for repurposing a large portion of the C-band for 5G use. Their proposal consists of three key elements that would make 370 megahertz of C-band spectrum available for flexible wireless use on a nationwide basis: (i) a FCC-driven auction that would award new terrestrial licenses and assign obligations for transition costs; (ii) a plan to transition certain Fixed Satellite Service earth station operators to fiber; and (iii) a plan for satellite operators to repack remaining earth station users to the upper portion of the band.
2. AT&T asserts that the C-Band Alliance’s proposed technical criteria would constrain 5G deployment, and it proposes an alternate band plan to address its concerns. AT&T recommends dividing the 3.7-4.2 GHz band into three segments: (i) a largely unrestricted mobile terrestrial 5G segment in the bottom of the band (“Unrestricted Licenses”); (ii) “Adjacent Licenses” in the middle of the band that would have to coordinate with or mitigate impact on Fixed Satellite Service; and (iii) remaining Fixed Satellite Service spectrum in the top of the band. Unrestricted Licenses could operate using full power and would not be obligated to coordinate with Fixed Satellite Service earth stations; Adjacent Licenses would operate using lower power or subject to other limitations, or would be obligated to coordinate with nearby Fixed Satellite Service earth stations.
3. WISPA, Google, and Microsoft filed a study conducted by Reed Engineering, which analyzed Fixed Satellite Service and fixed wireless point-to-multipoint co-channel coexistence in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band. Among other conclusions, the Reed Study suggests that exclusion zones of about 10 kilometers are sufficient to protect most Fixed Satellite Service earth stations from harmful interference caused by properly-engineered co-channel point-to-multipoint broadband systems. The propagation model used in the study relied on Fixed Satellite Service earth station characteristics that require them to point upwards towards the geostationary satellite arc. Thus, the earth stations are specifically designed to mitigate their response to signals arriving from the horizon, such as terrestrial point-to-multipoint links. Additionally, the study relied on the directional nature of fixed service antennas and clutter to assume reduced emissions at earth stations.

The package of penalties for Facebook’s past privacy scandals includes a record-breaking $5 billion fine and unprecedented government oversight of its business practices. But a review of the 16-month investigation — described by 10 people familiar with the matter — shows that the Federal Trade Commission stopped short of some even tougher punishments it initially had in mind. Those included fining Facebook not just $5 billion, but tens of billions of dollars, and imposing more direct liability for the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook, however, fiercely resisted the government’s demands, and in the end, the FTC, facing a formidable foe whose $55 billion in revenue in 2018 amounted to almost 200 times the budget afforded to the federal regulators, settled for less.

The experience illustrates the challenges facing a 105-year-old agency hamstrung in the kinds of penalties it can pursue by the nation’s lack of a national consumer privacy law. While some lawmakers bemoan the FTC’s inability to punish Facebook, Congress has yet to advance legislation that would give the FTC a stronger hand as it confronts some of the most profitable corporations in the global economy. Under the settlement, which has not yet been made public, Facebook is expected to submit to heightened federal scrutiny. It could be required to certify — through its executives as well as its board of directors— that it is considering privacy risks when it collects information, taps it in new ways or makes it accessible to third parties, including app developers.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a commitment of nearly $50 million in research to better understand how technology is transforming our democracy and the way we receive and engage with information. Amidst a growing debate over technology’s role in our democracy, these investments will help ensure society is equipped to make evidence-based decisions on how to govern and manage the now-digital public square. Knight’s investment will fund new, cross-disciplinary research at 11 American universities and research institutions, including the creation of five new centers of study — each reflecting different approaches to understanding the future of democracy in a digital age. In addition, Knight has opened a new funding opportunity for policy and legal research addressing major, ongoing debates about the rules that should govern social media and technology companies. 

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he has presented his colleagues with two new proposals to modernize and streamline the agency’s processes. Under the first, the FCC would continue the agency’s move toward electronic filing and correspondence by fully transitioning the Universal Licensing System—the agency’s largest licensing system—from paper to electronic format.  The second proposal would expedite the Commission’s hearing processes by expanding the use of written hearings (i.e. hearings conducted without live testimony). “As the communications marketplace is being transformed by the digital revolution, we must continue to modernize our own operations.” said Chairman Pai.  “That’s why I’m introducing two new proposals to update and streamline our processes for the digital age.  By transitioning more records and communications from paper to electronic format, we can save money and increase our efficiency.  And by streamlining our hearing rules, we can resolve disputes more quickly, which will benefit the private sector as well as the Commission.  I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting these good-government initiatives.” 

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks announced the appointment of Alisa Valentin as his Special Advisor. “I’m excited that Alisa is joining my team. She brings a strong background of leadership on the issue of internet inequality and, as a native of South Georgia, has personal experience with the impact of the digital divide on rural Americans, particularly in communities of color. I look forward to benefiting from her insights and working with her in the days ahead.”

Valentin joins Commissioner Starks’s office from Public Knowledge, where she was a Communications Justice Policy Fellow, focusing on broadband deployment and access issues. Previously, Valentin served as a legislative fellow with the office of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and an intern in FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn’s office. Valentin holds a Ph.D. from Howard University in Communications, Culture and Media Studies, as well as a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University and a BS in Telecommunications from the University of Florida