The FCC will take up cable leased access rules and an NPRM on aviation safety, in addition to the declaratory ruling and Further NPRM on robocalls (see 1905150041), Chairman Ajit Pai blogged Wednesday. The FCC isn’t slated to tackle the 2.5 GHz educational broadcast service (EBS) band or a notice on the 5.9 GHz band, as some had expected (see 1905130054 and 1905140050). "We’ve certainly had monthly meetings with more items on the agenda, but with a major item to crack down on unwanted robocalls, this could be one of our most impactful meetings of the year," Pai said.

A lawyer laid out the Wireless ISP Association's stance on the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service band, in a meeting with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. For existing EBS licensees, the FCC should “eliminate leasing, ownership and educational requirements, and should rationalize existing Geographic Service Areas by extending them to the county border,” said Stephen Coran of Lerner Senter. “With respect to unassigned EBS spectrum,” WISPA’s preference is for “an open eligibility auction designed with appropriate safeguards to ensure that one entity could not acquire all available spectrum in a geographic market,” Coran said, per a Tuesday filing in docket 18-120. Pai is expected to propose revised 2.5 GHz rules for a vote at the June 6 commissioners’ meeting (see 1905130054).

House Communications Subcommittee Democrats' widely expected airing of grievances against FCC Chairman Ajit Pai at a Wednesday oversight hearing is likely to be tempered by their interest in a range of telecom policy priorities and subcommittee Republicans' bid to deflect some of their colleagues' ire, officials and lobbyists told us. The hearing, which also includes the other four commissioners, will be the subcommittee's first on oversight of the agency since Democrats gained a majority in the chamber after the November elections. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The House Task Force on Rural Broadband is a positive step toward improving internet connectivity in unserved areas of the U.S., but will need to come up with concrete legislative recommendations to be an effective policy player, communications sector officials and lobbyists told us. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., led formation of the group, which he announced Monday. President Donald Trump in late April agreed with top congressional Democrats to pursue $2 trillion in spending on broadband and other infrastructure projects (see 1904300194). The task force is one of several Capitol Hill pushes on broadband legislation, though some remain skeptical about the prospects for an overarching infrastructure funding bill.

Commissioners disagreed on the significance of an NPRM reallocating the 1675-1680 MHz band for 5G, approved 5-0 at Thursday's meeting. Ligado, which wants to combine the spectrum with other bands it controls, has pushed for the NPRM, but still has work to do before it can make 40 MHz available for 5G. The company is hoping for FCC action this summer on its broader license modification proposal, officials said. The band must be shared with weather satellites.

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., confirmed Wednesday his office is in talks with Reps. Susan Brooks of Indiana and Tim Walberg of Michigan to be the lead Republican co-sponsors of a to-be-refiled version of the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act. The bill, filed during the last Congress, aims to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via an FCC auction (see 1802070054). Brooks and Walberg separately told us they haven't made a decision on co-sponsoring. Walberg already was believed to be a potential contender (see 1904230069). Then-House Communications Vice Chairman Leonard Lance of New Jersey was the bill's lead Republican sponsor last Congress but lost his bid for re-election in November. Refiling appears likely to be “pushed back a little bit,” behind other legislative priorities, Doyle said. The bill's timeline already had been delayed, though Doyle and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., insisted it's not on an indefinite hold (see 1903270071). Some have said the delay is due to a push for the wireless and cable industries to reach consensus on C-band language.

The FCC is seeking comment on bidirectional sharing, as required by the Ray Baum Act. Whether anything will result from a recent notice (see 1905010205) remains unclear, government and industry officials told us this week. NTIA has supported bidirectional sharing and asked the FCC to look more closely at the issue (see 1403250035). Industry officials are interested in what NTIA has to say if it files later this month. Comments are due May 31, replies June 17, in docket 19-128.

International Association of Fire Chiefs President Dan Eggleston discussed the T-band with Chief Lisa Fowlkes and others from the FCC Public Safety Bureau, said a filing in docket 07-114. A provision in the 2012 spectrum law mandates public safety agencies move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021 (see 1808020051). The meeting covered “the challenges posed by an auction of the T-Band, particularly the lack of alternative spectrum options for public safety incumbents,” IAFC said: “Also mentioned were the many benefits that the T-Band provides to public safety as a reliable communications resource.” Eggleston supported tougher standards for locating the vertical access of wireless calls to 911 but suggested the FCC “explore narrowing the margin of error over a reasonable timeframe as technology develops.”

There was much enthusiasm for looking at the 4.9 GHz band when a Further NPRM was approved on a 5-0 vote 13 months ago (see 1803220037). Now, FCC and industry officials said they've heard almost nothing since the agency took comments last summer. While 4.9 GHz offers prized mid-band spectrum, it’s one segment that rarely gets attention as the FCC looks at 5G. Last year’s notice was the sixth the agency issued.

The North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation and Mobile Beacon urged the FCC to protect existing educational broadband service licensees if it makes changes to the 2.5 GHz band. Commissioners approved 4-0 last May an NPRM on ways to spark interest in the band, including a potential incentive auction (see 1805100053). The foundation and Mobile Beacon said they looked closely at proposals. "The Commission can best achieve its goals by rationalizing all existing licenses to allow operators to ‘edge out’ their networks from the current, outdated circular GSAs to standard geographic boundaries,” they said Thursday in docket 18-120. “This is the most expedient way to facilitate additional investment and deployment, empowering existing licensees and operators to deploy immediately to the areas adjacent to the current GSAs, accelerating both 5G and rural deployment.” Rural operators "support requiring a ‘local presence’ and more stringent build out standards, and urge the Commission against adopting mechanisms such as an incentive auction that may further the issue of spectrum warehousing,” filed Central Texas Communications, Coleman County Telephone Cooperative, Colorado Valley Communications, Mahaska Communication Group, Mark Twain Communications and Peoples Wireless.