Drone Detection

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it was in the initial stages of detection research for unmanned aircraft (UAS/drone).  The FAA reports that every month it receives more than 100 reports of drones flying near airports or manned aircraft.  To address this problem, the FAA has partnered with other agencies and entities to test equipment that will detect “rogue drones.”  The entities will work together to compile data for a final report by August 2016.

NG 911 NOW Coalition

Also last week, public safety and 911 industry leaders created the NG911 NOW Coalition in an effort to accelerate the implementation of Next Generation 911 (NG 911) services by 2020.  The Coalition consists of members from the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT), and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).  The Coalition plans to seek assistance from government and public safety entitles to implement a plan for securing NG 911 funding, policies, and best practices.   FCC Chairman Wheeler stated that the formation of the Coalition is “welcome news” and that “[m]odernizing the nation’s 911 system will take work from many stakeholders.”

Closed Captioning Accessibility Rules

On February 19, the Commission released the Second Report and Order (Order) pertaining to the closed captioning of video programing rules ensuring that individuals that are deaf or hard of hearing have access to video programming.  The Order amends the Commission’s rules on closed captioning rules at Part 79.  The Order clarifies that the responsibility of the quality of closed captions falls on video programmers and it modifies the closed captioning certification and complaint process.  The Order becomes effective thirty (30) days after it is published in the Federal Register, which has not yet occurred.

CPNI Certifications Due March 1

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, entities subject to the Commission’s Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules must file their annual reports certifying compliance with the Commission’s CPNI Rules.  The report must include a written statement explaining how the entity’s operating procedures do or do not comply with the CPNI rules, an explanation of any action taken against businesses that sell personal information, and a summary of all consumer complaints received in the prior years pertaining to the unauthorized disclosure of CPNI.  The report must be signed by an officer and state that such officer has personal knowledge of the entity’s established operating procedures and compliance with the CPNI Rules.

FirstNet Developments

FirstNet has released answers to a second batch of questions in response to its Request For Proposal (“RFP”) for bids to construct, maintain and operate the nationwide public safety broadband network. FirstNet has now provided answers to over 300 of the 400-plus questions it received in response to its RFP.  Based on these questions and answers, FirstNet has made some substantive changes to the RFP. 

Louisville Pole Attachment Dispute

AT&T sued Louisville, KY Metro Council last week over its new “One Touch Make Ready” ordinance, which passed in an effort to create streamlined pole access for Google.  Time Warner Cable also has vigorously opposed the ordinance.