Vol. 19, No. 4

January 23, 2023

WELCOME

NEW MEMBER


Venable LLP

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 7, 2023

October 8-10, 2023

MEMBER NEWS


IdeaTek Sees Room to Grow Rural Broadband Across Kansas


Grain Management Announces Acquisition of Spectrotel

COMMENT

DEADLINES


February 13

Comments Due on Request to Use E-Rate Funds for

Network Security


February 13

Comments Due on Affordable Connectivity Program Transparency Data Collection FNPRM


February 16

Comments Due on FNPRM on Further Steps FCC Can Take to Ensure Consumers Can Make Informed Broadband Purchasing Decisions


February 21

Comments Due on Digital Discrimination NPRM


February 22

Comments Due on CPNI NPRM


February 27

Reply Comments Due on Affordable Connectivity Program Transparency Data Collection FNPRM


March 16

Reply Comments Due on FNPRM on Further Steps FCC Can Take to Ensure Consumers Can Make Informed Broadband Purchasing Decisions


March 21

Reply Comments Due on Digital Discrimination NPRM


March 24

Reply Comments Due on CPNI NPRM


March 30

Reply Comments Due on Request to Use E-Rate Funds for Network Security

Registration Now Open for

2023 INCOMPAS Policy Summit

Registration is now open for The 2023 INCOMPAS Policy Summit, taking place Tuesday, March 7, at the Conference Center at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C.


Join us to hear keynote speakers from Congress, as well as officials from the White House, FCC, Department of Commerce’s NTIA, and other administrative agencies. Currently confirmed keynote speakers include:    

Also on the schedule are panel discussions with senior industry executives and public policy leaders, such as:

  • Federal Infrastructure Funding - One Year Later
  • FCC Bureau Chiefs’ 2023 Priorities and Perspectives
  • Investing in the Networks and Reducing Deployment Barriers to Secure Our Digital Future
  • The Model for Spectrum Sharing: 12 GHz Is Key to Growing 5G Economy
  • Insights into Tech Investments in Digital Infrastructure
  • USF is Broken. How Do We Fix It?
  • Cybersecurity Policy Trends
  • The Impact of Broadband on Precision Agriculture  
  • And much more....

Sponsorships Available

Raise your company's visibility in Washington, D.C., and among these key audiences with a Policy Summit sponsorship. A variety of options are available. For details, visit the Policy Summit website or email Julia Strow.

INCOMPAS President Kronenberg

Blogs on FCC Communications Marketplace Report

INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg released a blog last week on the FCC’s Communications Marketplace Report.


In the blog, Kronenberg focused on:

  • New information and data in the report
  • Lack of broadband competition for home internet service
  • Need for policymakers to focus their attention on lowering the barriers to broadband deployment, including addressing the costs and timing to access public rights-of-way.


She concluded: "To achieve our nation’s goals of bringing high-speed internet to everyone — what the Administration now calls 'Internet for All' — we must embrace streamlined processing and reasonable access at low-cost to public rights-of-way. Speeding access to poles, ducts and conduits so that networks can be built is hard work, but this effort also will enable competitors who are bringing fiber, fixed wireless and mobile options to more communities to offer choice where so many customers still need it. Real choice for fast networks will enable greater economic growth for our cities and towns and will help secure our nation’s economic future."

Tarana Demonstrates Unprecedented Performance of ngFWA

Last month in Washington, D.C., Tarana demonstrated the unprecedented performance of ngFWA (next-generation fixed wireless access) broadband in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) conditions with heavy radio interference. These industry-first capabilities are enabling internet service providers around the world to provide reliable broadband to unserved and underserved communities.


Watch this brief video recap to see the demo results and learn how ngFWA can close the digital divide in your area faster than previously thought possible. 

NTIA Launches Inquiry on How Data Practices Affect Civil Rights

The NTIA announced a request for comment on how companies’ data practices may impose outsized harm on marginalized or underserved communities. The ways in which firms collect, share and use data can exacerbate existing structural inequities include:

  • Online job ads may be targeted based on real or perceived demographic characteristics such as age, sex or race, reaching certain groups while ignoring others.
  • Apps that collect and sell location data could reveal details about the user movements that make them vulnerable to discrimination – such as an LGBTQ+-specific dating app or a Muslim prayer app.
  • The financial cost and time spent to secure one’s information after a data breach or identity theft incident can be more burdensome to correct and ultimately costly for low-income communities. 


These comments being sought as NTIA prepares a report analyzing whether and how commercial data practices can negatively affect marginalized or underserved communities, as well as how existing civil rights and privacy laws can be used to address privacy harms. This report will point to how current resources can be better deployed – and provide a guide for new privacy proposals. 


The request for comment builds on the work conducted by NTIA during three listening sessions. Comments will be due 45 days from publication in the Federal Register. 

FCC's Roseworcel Highlights Importance of 5G Leadership

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel gave a keynote address on the importance of U.S. leadership in 5G at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). The event focused on how wireless connectivity, including 5G and next-generation wireless, is crucial to U.S. economic and national security interests, as well as the importance of U.S. leadership in promoting next-generation networks for the future of dynamic, innovative free-market democracies.

Protecting Speech From Government Interference Act Introduced

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Member James Comer (R-KY), House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act (H.R. 140). This bill prohibits Biden Administration officials and federal bureaucrats from using their authority or influence to promote censorship of speech or pressure social media companies to censor speech.

Rep. Bergman Introduces Rural Broadband Legislation

Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) introduced the Rural Broadband Window of Opportunity Act, which would require the FCC to prioritize the timely processing of certain long-form applications in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction. The purpose of the bill is to level the playing field for service providers participating in the RDOF that are disadvantaged by short construction seasons.

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