C Band, 5G, EAS False Alarms on FCC's July Docket

WASHINGTON — FCC Chairman Ajit Pai previewed what to expect at the agency’s July 12 Open Meeting in his recent blog posting “Scoring a Victory for 5G,” including several issues of interest to broadcasters.

The United States must not rest on laurels won globally with the pace of its 4G LTE network deployments, he wrote. Rather, the FCC must take the next step to “ensure that America continues to lead the world in mobile innovation,” wrote Pai.

[Read: Pai Tells Broadcasters: More Modernization On The Way]

To that end, the FCC will consider a proposal to make “more intensive use” of the C Band (3.7 to 4.2 GHz) for 5G deployment. Commissioners will vote in July on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking looking for additional feedback on ideas stemming from a Notice of Inquiry on the matter.

The FCC also will vote on an order and proposed rules intended to stop and correct false emergency alerts. The item will allow state and local officials to conduct more effective EAS testing, and it seeks input from the public on ways to prevent and address false emergency alerts, Pai wrote.

Commissioners will advance the agency’s Modernization of Media Regulations Initiative, updating the broadcast regulations covering children’s programming. The agency will also consider an order establishing uniform procedural rules for formal complaint proceedings administered by the Enforcement Bureau, he wrote.

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Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.