Robocall Spring Cleaning Initiative

Last week, the FCC issued a cease-and-desist letter against Veriwave Telco, ordering the company to discontinue its origination of an apparently illegal robocall campaign related to a tax relief program. The Commission also issued a K4 Order, notifying all U.S.-based providers that they may cease accepting traffic from Veriwave Telco if the company had not effectively mitigated illegal traffic within 48 hours of the cease-and-desist public notice being issued. The cease-and-desist letter is a part of the FCC’s “Spring Cleaning” initiative from the Enforcement Bureau, in which the Commission seeks to issue a series of robocall actions against entities engaging in illegal robocalling activities. 

NIST IoT Cybersecurity Handbook

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) released the initial public draft of its latest Product Development Cybersecurity Handbook in a white paper last week. The handbook can be used to develop and deploy secure Internet of Things (“Iot”) products by explaining cybersecurity concepts for IoT products and their components. The handbook expands upon prior work issued by NIST relating to IoT manufacturing and is designed to address cybersecurity concerns in newly network-connected sectors such as energy services, water/waste-water services, automobiles, consumer electronics, and government. 

APCO International Expresses 6 GHz Interference Concern

In an ex parte letter filed last week, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (“APCO”) International wrote to the FCC to express its concern with the automated frequency coordination (“AFC”) systems operators’ development of a centralized complaint portal. Similar to the letter filed last month by the Edison Electric Institute, Enterprise Wireless Alliance, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and Utilities Technology Council [Vol. XXI, Issue 14], APCO International submits that incumbents should be involved with the development of the complaint portal and that testing and public trials may be necessary before changes are made to existing AFC systems.

New NEPA Categorical Exclusions

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) announced 30 new categorical exclusions established to support National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) reviews for broadband infrastructure deployments funded by the Internet for All programs. Categorical exclusions are actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and do not require an environmental assessment or impact statement. The new categorical exclusions include real property and facilities actions such as maintenance and renovations, as well as new construction of self-supporting wireless communications towers and non-tower structures in previously developed areas.

Thomas B. Magee, Tracy P. Marshall, Sean A. Stokes, and Wesley K. Wright also contributed to this article.