As part of the massive 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue rules facilitating consumers’ “equal access” to broadband internet access...more
On Oct. 19, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to advance Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s proposal to once again adopt “net neutrality” rules. As it had in 2015, the FCC also proposes to classify broadband...more
On Feb. 23, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a draft Notice of Inquiry (NOI) that would seek comment on how to prevent and eliminate discrimination of broadband access as directed by Congress in the...more
On Sunday, Aug. 1, the group of senators negotiating the bipartisan infrastructure package unveiled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The $1.2 trillion package contains $550 billion in new infrastructure spending,...more
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) for the $1 billion tribal connectivity grant program. Applications are due by Sept. 1, 2021. Of...more
The past several months have seen a number of new funding opportunities for the deployment, adoption and affordability of broadband services on tribal lands. This alert provides a quick update on these various opportunities....more
We have previously issued several alerts regarding the ability of eligible tribal entities to apply for certain airwave licenses that can be used for wireless internet access and other services. The window for applying for...more
As we previously reported, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will provide rural tribes with an opportunity to apply for free wireless airwaves in the 2.5 GHz band. The FCC has now set the window during which...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on ways to improve the dialogue between tribes and carriers that provide subsidized telephone and broadband services to tribal areas using federal universal...more
In the latest twist in the net neutrality saga, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC” or “Commission”) 2017 decision to once again classify...more
10/10/2019
/ Broadband ,
Communications Act 2003 ,
FCC ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Net Neutrality ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Preemption ,
Public Safety ,
Telecommunications ,
Title II
On Sept. 18, 2019, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on tribal access to spectrum. Spectrum are slices of airwaves used to send signals to wireless devices like smartphones. One of the key messages was...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released an order making available certain airwaves for broadband wireless services on rural tribal lands. These airwaves, in the 2.5 GHz spectrum band, were previously set...more
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has launched a review of arrangements between building owners and communications companies that govern the provision of communication services to building tenants. The purpose of...more
7/17/2019
/ 5G Network ,
Anticompetitive Agreements ,
Broadband ,
Competition ,
Exclusive Dealing Agreements ,
Exclusive Use ,
FCC ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Leaseback ,
Local Ordinance ,
Preemption ,
Property Owners ,
Public Comment ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Rulemaking Process ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Wireless Industry
As directed by Congress in last year’s RAY BAUM’s Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) delivered to the House and Senate Commerce committees its evaluation of broadband coverage in Indian country. The FCC’s bottom...more
The Federal Communications Commission has made closing the “digital divide” a top priority, particularly on tribal lands. Despite this lofty goal, and millions of federal dollars theoretically available to subsidize building...more
On Jan. 8, President Trump issued an Executive Order to all executive agencies to use all “viable tools” to accelerate the deployment of broadband internet access service in rural America. The president also signed a...more
Owners and managers of multi-tenant environments (“MTEs”), such as apartment buildings, filed initial comments in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) proceeding to reexamine various types of arrangements between...more