Rip-and-Replace Rules Adopted

The FCC adopted a Third Report and Order last week modifying the Rip-and-Replace program rules (Vol. XVIII, Issue 28).  The new rules expand the eligibility for funding to carriers with ten million or fewer customers and establish prioritization policies in case reimbursement costs exceed the $1.9 billion of available funding.  The rules also allow carriers to seek reimbursement for replacing any equipment produced by Huawei or ZTE, regardless of whether it was paid for with universal service subsidies. 

FCC Affirms Fine for Harmful Interference

Last week the FCC released a Memorandum Opinion and Order affirming an Enforcement Bureau fine against Mobile Relay Associates (“Mobile Relay”) for causing harmful interference to a co-channel licensee operating on a shared channel.  The Commission issued Mobile Relay a Notice of Violation (“NOV”) in 2013 after Mobile Relay received complaints from two co-channel licensees that it was causing interference.  Two years later, the FCC found that Mobile Relay continued to operate nearly continuously on the channel and failed to employ required monitoring equipment to prevent interference.  Mobile Relay must pay a forfeiture of $25,000 for its actions. 

Broadband Provider Issued Form 477 Violations Citation

The FCC issued a Citation and Order last week notifying New Visions Communications, Inc. (“New Visions”) that it failed to file FCC Form 477 twenty-five times and filed it late four times.  Form 477, which facilities-based broadband service providers are required to file twice a year, contains important information such as service speed and subscriber information that the Commission uses to assess the state of broadband availability in the U.S.  New Visions must respond to the Citation and Order within 30 days (Vol. XVIII, Issue 9).

FCC Proposes Boston, Raleigh as new Research Test Beds

The FCC will consider a Public Notice at its August Open Meeting that proposes designating Boston, MA and Raleigh, NC as two new Innovation Zones to allow for advanced wireless communications and network innovation and research.  Innovation Zones are FCC-designated, city-scale test beds managed by the National Science Foundation that extend the geographic areas in which already licensed experimental program licensees can conduct tests.  The designation allows experimental program license holders, which are licensed to operate elsewhere, to also use the Innovation Zones.  The FCC designated New York City and Salt Lake City as the first Innovation Zones in September 2019. 

Gregory E. Kunkle, Casey Lide, Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Kathleen Slattery Thompson, Sean A. Stokes, and Wesley K. Wright also contributed to this article.