Today’s Regulatory Mix: Applications Now Being Accepted Under Ohio Broadband Grant Program,  FCC Announces Preliminary Agenda for September 30th Open Meeting

 

Applications Now Being Accepted Under Ohio Broadband Grant Program

Governor Mike DeWine announced that the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant program has begun accepting applications. The program will provide $250 million in grants for the construction of broadband projects that improve high-speed Internet access in unserved and underserved areas of the state. “This program is a key investment in Ohio’s future as we work toward eliminating the digital divide in our state,” Governor DeWine said. “Connecting our rural and underserved areas with reliable Internet service will help bring these communities up to speed with the rest of the state and will be a driving force for economic growth.” The Ohio Broadband Expansion Program Authority is accepting applications through November 8. 

Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 7/23/21

 

FCC Announces Preliminary Agenda for September 30th Open Meeting 

Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the items that will considered at the FCC’s open meeting on September 30, 2021: 

  • Promoting more resilient networks by revisiting the Wireless Resiliency Cooperative Framework, network outage reporting rules, and strategies to address one of the primary reasons for service disruptions: electric power outages. 
  • Repurposing airwaves for public safety and 5G by seeking comment on how to advance the Commission’s original goal to ensure public safety enjoys maximum access to emerging broadband technologies while also increasing overall use of the band through a single, nationwide framework that creates opportunities for 5G. 
  • Meeting consumer demand for faster, better Wi-Fi by voting to initiate the process for certifying Wi-Fi 6 systems and speed the deployment of next-generation Wi-Fi. 
  • Supporting the Internet of Things by initiating a Notice of Inquiry to better understand the current and future spectrum needs of IoT connectivity. 
  • Cracking down on the hardest-to-stop robocallers by considering a proposal to require gateway providers that are the point of entry for foreign calls to use new caller ID authentication tools and perform robocall mitigation. 
  • Shielding 911 call centers from robocalls by considering a proposal to bolster the Do-Not-Call registry for telephone numbers used by 911 call centers. 
  • Connecting Tribal libraries by exploring measures to ensure Tribal entities can access the E-Rate program. 
  • Strengthening the security review of companies with foreign ownership by adopting a baseline set of national security and law enforcement questions for certain applicants with reportable foreign ownership. 

The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.