December 7, 2023 – The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with four states with the hopes of improving data privacy and cybersecurity protection.

These state attorneys general will work with the FCC to share “expertise, resources and coordinated efforts,” to better their ability to protect consumers and to take on cyber and data-related investigations.

During investigations, there will be a mutual exchange of resources and information to execute enforcement, with the two entities working together to source records, interview individuals, go through complaints and review bad actors, read a press release.

The partnership is part of the FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force and a broader initiative to strengthen ties between the FCC and federal actors to tackle enforcement of privacy, data protection and cybersecurity.

“I am thankful to these four partners for prioritizing interagency cooperation, and we welcome other state leaders to join us in this effort to ensure we work together to protect consumers and their data,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

FCC partially grants deployment of Starlink satellites

The FCC announced in an order Friday that it has partially granted SpaceX the ability to deploy and operate a group of nearly 30,000 satellites.

The FCC has granted SpaceX the authority to deploy up to 7,500 satellites, but is deferring SpaceX’s request to use E-band frequencies and tracking beacons, which refer to methods of space-to-ground communication.

SpaceX initially filed a request to deploy its first-generation Starlink system in 2018, which was granted, and submitted an application to deploy a group of second-generation Starlink satellites in 2020, which received pushback.

The FCC noted in its order that it believes partially granting the SpaceX Starlink second-generation application would serve the public interest. It added that this will allow the satellite company to work toward improving broadband in unserved and underserved regions across the country.

Verizon to partner with Zebra Technologies

Verizon announced Wednesday it will be partnering with digital solution company Zebra Technologies to release a mobile device and software package designed to better customer’s experience with the 5G network.

Zebra will be providing a fleet of technology, such as tablets and mobile computers, which will include the company’s Zebra Mobility DNA software, tailoring the package toward customers who work in industries like transportation, logistics as well as manufacturing, read a press release.

Those devices will be certified to work with Verizon’s 5G private networks, which will provide users with more network capacity to work with, alongside secure voice communication, the press release added.

“Partnering directly with Zebra Technologies accelerates the timeline from adoption to implementation, giving critical days or weeks back to businesses that can get caught up in protracted cycles of getting operations up and running,” said Verizon’s Vice President of Business Products Steve Szabo.

“Zebra is committed to integrating 5G across the company’s entire portfolio, giving our customers more flexibility for their wireless and mobility needs,” said Zebra Technologies Senior Vice President Julie Johnson.

December 6, 2023 – AT&T announced Monday a partnership with Swedish mobile wireless equipment maker Ericsson to build out its open radio access network to get ahead of the race to allow the networks to work with various equipment suppliers. 

The five-year contract with Ericsson could see AT&T spend roughly $14 billion and eventually see 70 percent of its wireless network traffic travel over open platforms by late 2026. 

Beginning in 2025, AT&T said it will be coordinating with multiple suppliers on the development of the Open RAN ecosystem, including Intel, Dell, Corning, and Fujitsu. 

“AT&T’s and Ericsson’s multiyear joint commitment to Open RAN deployment comes at a pivotal moment in the 5G innovation cycle,” the telecom said in a press release. “This move to an open, agile, programmable wireless network positions AT&T to quickly capitalize on the next generation of wireless technology and spectrum when it becomes available. 

“These innovative technologies will enable lower-power, sustainable networks with higher performance to deliver enhanced user experiences,” it added. “Ericsson’s open architecture will provide a foundation and springboard for developers driving innovation through open and programmable networks and bringing new suppliers into the industry. This will foster modernization and competition in the U.S. wireless equipment market.”

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the head of the Federal Communications Commission have said that open RAN deployments would allow network owners to move away from proprietary technologies to diversify the supply chain and reduce security risks.  

The NTIA is currently in the midst of distributing money from the $1.5-billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, which is intended to help telecoms transition to open, interoperable wireless networks. 

Ericsson plans to use the 5G smart factory in Lewisville, Texas to provide equipment to the project.

FCC extends waiver to allow the use of non-professional certified engineers 

The Federal Communications Commission filed an order Thursday extending the use of a waiver that permits telecommunication companies to use non-professional certified engineers to sign off on broadband data collection. 

The use of the waiver was set to expire on September 15th of this year for broadband data recorded as of June 30th 2023, but now will extend for three more filing periods to be used for data collected up to December 31, 2024. 

The FCC reasoned that extending the use of the waiver “strikes an appropriate balance by giving providers limited relief from the PE requirement, on the condition that they are able to expeditiously provide to the Commission, when requested, underlying network information that supports their availability data.”

Industry associations USTelecom and the Competitive Carriers Association filed a petition in August to extend for three filing periods the use of a waiver that does not require provider’s broadband data filings to be verified by a licensed professional engineer. They argued that requiring sign-off from a licensed professional engineer would burden smaller providers. 

The FCC put in place a rule requiring mapping data to be signed off by a certified engineer and a corporate officer, but would accept a single signature sign off if the signatory could qualify both of those positions. 

In 2020 Congress passed the Broadband DATA Act, which required the FCC to create a new set of rules to regulate how biannual broadband service data was collected and distributed. As a part of that act, service providers were required to submit verification from a “corporate officer” that any data they had collected was accurate. 

Atlas Digital Group appoints new COO

Atlas Digital Group, an e-commerce company serving the broadband industry, announced Monday that Chad Neuhaus will be taking on a new role as the company’s chief operating officer. 

Neuhaus will manage the implementation of operational strategies, promoting quality control across deliverables and working with senior management members to work on continued development strategy, explained a press release. 

“I’m ready to contribute to an outstanding team and help the company achieve even stronger performance as we roar into 2024,” said Neuhaus. 

Prior to joining Atlas Digital Group, Neuhaus served for 23 years in various roles at telecommunications companies, including Altice and AT&T, a press release said. 

Florida released a draft volume two of its Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment initial proposal on November 22.

It was the last in a wave of states and territories that began seeking public comment on their drafts in recent weeks, an effort to close the mandatory 30-day public comment period before the December 27 submission deadline. All 56 have now done so.

States will submit their proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency tapped to oversee the program. The proposals come in two volumes: volume one details how states will ground-truth broadband coverage data, and volume two outlines states’ plans for administering grant programs with their BEAD funds.

The state released a draft volume one of its proposal on November 15.

Florida estimates it will have $200 million of its $1.16 billion BEAD allocation remaining after funding infrastructure projects. The state is planning to start awarding that money to workforce development projects at the same time as infrastructure builds.

Without an effort to train and hire more people, Florida’s proposal said, there will not be enough workers in the state with the necessary skills to complete those projects. The telecommunications industry as a whole is facing a workforce shortage, and Florida is planning to fund training and outreach efforts to address the shortfall.

The state said it may be requesting a waiver from the NTIA to make some Federal Communications Commission subsidy areas open to BEAD funds, citing “growing local and national concern over the economic viability of some RDOF awards coming to fruition.” Alabama has requested such a waiver.

The FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund awarded over $9 billion to expand broadband networks to unserved areas in 2020, over $2.8 billion of which has since gone into default.

Florida’s broadband office “reserves the option,” according to its volume two, to use the NTIA’s updated financing guidelines. Those updated guidelines allow for changes that tie up less cash than the original BEAD requirement, a 25 percent letter of credit from an accredited bank.

The public comment period for Florida’s volume two is open until December 22.