What's on the agenda for policymakers.
Agenda
Streaming media boxes—digital media devices that stream music and video to users’ TVs—are unlocking a new wave of online piracy. While many users legally stream online content using devices like Fire TV Sticks, Chromecasts, and Rokus, there are a growing number of users who buy devices such as the TickBox or Dragon Box to avoid paying for content. Makers of these devices advertise that their products come pre-loaded with software add-ons that will allow users to watch their favorite movies and TV shows without paying for access through legal services such as Netflix and Hulu.
9:30 AM – 9:35 AM: Opening Remarks: Commissioners Michael R. Wessel and Commissioner Larry M. Wortzel, Ph.D.
9:35 AM – 11:05 AM: Panel I: Economic Implications of U.S. and Chinese 5G and IoT Standards and Technology Development
FCC says small cells will close the digital divide. Most say they won't
Many local officials, engineers and wireless consultants contend that changes Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai advocates to limit local regulation of small-cell permitting, design, fees and other charges used to access cities’ public rights of way won’t do anything to close the digital divide.
5G wireless pits cities against telecoms and their friends in the FCC
Many people are worked up over so-called small cells, the next generation of wireless technology that telecommunications firms and cell-tower builders want to place on streetlights and utility poles throughout neighborhoods nationwide. The small cells come with a host of equipment, including antennas, power supplies, electric meters, switches, cabling and boxes often strapped to the sides of poles. Some may have refrigerator-sized containers on the ground. And they will be placed about every 500 or so feet along residential streets and throughout business districts.
Congressional Leaders Announce FCC Reauthorization and Spectrum Agreement
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD), and Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL) announced a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation reauthorizing the Federal Communications Commission and spurring the deployment of next-generation wireless services. The legislation, RAY BAUM’S Act (H.R. 4986), will be voted on in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. The legislation would:
Digital Inclusion Innovators Visit Policymakers
On February 27 and 28, in partnership with the Benton Foundation, three digital inclusion innovators, joined NDIA's Angela Siefer for a round of meetings in DC. Amina Fazlullah, NDIA’s Policy Advisor and a Mozilla Tech Policy Fellow, made arrangements for four visits to senate offices and two visits to FCC commissioner offices, in addition to a meeting with Mozilla Tech Policy Fellows and an update on potential infrastructure legislation from SHLB Coalition’s John Windhausen. Thanks to Susan Corbett, we also met with Senator Angus King (I-Maine).
Winning the Wireless Future
[Press release] I want the United States to win the 5G race. I outlined the Federal Communications Commission’s strategy for 5G leadership and delivering next-generation wireless connectivity to American consumers using a three-part approach: forward-thinking spectrum policy, modernized rules for infrastructure deployment, and light-touch network regulation.Today, I’m unveiling a lineup for the FCC’s March 22 open meeting that builds on this momentum.
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for March 2018 Open Meeting
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the March Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday March 22, 2018:
The digital divide disproportionately impacts low-income Americans, and current proposals to Lifeline could make that reality even worse.
Summary of FCC Commissioner Carr's Remarks on Ensuring the U.S. is 5G Ready
Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission announced a new plan to advance 5G deployment in the U.S. A key obstacle is our country’s outdated infrastructure regulations, which were written for previous generations of wireless technology. To ensure the U.S. is 5G Ready, he announced that the FCC will vote at its March 22 Open Meeting on a plan to streamline the federal historic and environmental review procedures that apply to wireless infrastructure deployments.
The Plan