Handset Unlocking Proposal Headlines Busy July Meeting Agenda
FCC commissioners will vote July 18 on a notice seeking comment on uniform, industrywide handset unlocking requirements, as expected (see 2406250049), FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced Wednesday in her Note from the FCC. Commissioners will also vote on a controversial proposal allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services, a plan to cut the cost of correctional institution phone rates and rules to improve video programming accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing. Next-generation 911 rounds out the agenda.
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“Unlocking handsets allows consumers to take their existing mobile phone with them when they switch from one wireless service provider to another,” Rosenworcel said: “This makes switching service providers easier and promotes competition.”
Commissioners will consider a proposal to update existing handset unlocking requirements, “which apply to particular providers in specific circumstances, and expand them to establish a broadly applicable set of requirements for all service providers,” Rosenworcel said. Currently, among the national carriers, Verizon and T-Mobile are subject to some unlocking requirements. The notice proposes that all mobile providers unlock a consumer’s handset 60 days after it's activated.
The Wi-Fi proposal proved controversial when the commission sought comment this year, with some parties questioning the FCC’s statutory authority to act (see 2401300063). Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented in November on issuing an NPRM exploring the issue. The Republicans earlier dissented on a declaratory ruling clarifying that using Wi-Fi on school buses is an educational purpose eligible for E-rate funding (see 2310190056).
The FCC’s proposed program would limit the amount schools or libraries could receive over a three-year period, a news release said. The FCC would adopt “numerous safeguards to protect the integrity” of the E-rate program and require compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
“It should be the standard practice that students or anyone who can’t afford internet at home can check out a Wi-Fi hotspot from their local library,” Rosenworcel said in the release: “This update is how we’ll help close the Homework Gap and support folks on the wrong side of the digital divide so they can fully participate in modern civic and commercial life.”
The FCC notes the funding need given the affordable connectivity program's demise: “Now that that program has ended, many impacted households may now need to turn to local schools or libraries to stay connected for education.” The news release includes comments by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in support of the program. “E-Rate is a critical piece of infrastructure that is helping close the digital divide for students and educators in an increasingly online learning environment,” he said.
Prison Calling
Under the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act , the FCC was granted authority to take certain steps to improve access to affordable communications services for incarcerated people. Commissioners will consider a series of rules that would "significantly lower existing per-minute rate caps" for interstate and international audio calls from "any type of correctional facility." The item also proposes applying the rate caps to intrastate calls (see 2404040037). The commission would set interim per-minute rate caps for video communications for the first time and "lower the overall prices consumers pay by eliminating the ability to impose separate ancillary service charges" (see 2405280050).
“Our communities benefit from incarcerated people staying connected to their loved ones,” Rosenworcel said. If adopted, callers would pay 90 cents in large jails and $1.35 in small jails for a 15-minute audio call through a single call service option. Video calls would be capped at 11 cents per minute.
The agency will also vote on rules to improve the accessibility of display settings for closed captions in video programming, Rosenworcel said. “The FCC has standards for closed captioning that enable users to customize the font, size, color, and other display features of captions. For too many, these tools are too hard to find.” The matter was teed up in an NPRM in March, and during the rounds of comments NCTA and consumer groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing announced in April a joint consensus proposal.
Under the proposal (see 2403190056), caption display settings would be located in one place and accessible by a single button, key or icon, and cable operator apps on third-party devices would respect the caption setting of the host device. CTA has said the proposal is limited and doesn’t address a number of specifics about how caption settings should function. It's not yet clear if the FCC rules incorporate the joint proposal.
NG911
Another item tackles NG911. “Many states and localities are investing aggressively to roll out” NG911, “which will support voice, text, data, and video and make the 911 system more resilient,” Rosenworcel said: “To speed this transition, the Commission will vote to create a consistent NG911 transition framework at the national level, which spells out rules that govern what service providers must do to enable 911 upgrades, while providing flexibility to local authorities."
The FCC sought comment last year on how to speed the NG911 transition (see 2306080043). Commenters urged a cautious approach. Groups representing smaller carriers raised concerns about potential costs (see 2308100025).