FCC Releases Agenda and Draft Proposals for March Open Commission Meeting

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the agenda for its March 17, 2021 Open Commission Meeting, and released the following draft documents that are in circulation among the Commissioners:

• Promoting Public Safety Through Information Sharing
  The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order that would provide state and federal agencies with direct, read-only access to communications outage data for public safety purposes while also preserving the confidentiality of that data. (PS Docket No. 15-80)

• Improving the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts
  The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry to implement section 9201 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which is intended to improve the way the public receives emergency alerts on their mobile phones, televisions, and radios. (PS Docket Nos. 15-94, 15-91)

• Facilitating Shared Use in the 3.45 GHz Band
  The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order that would establish rules to create a new 3.45 GHz Service operating between 3.45-3.55 GHz, making 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available for flexible use throughout the contiguous United States. (WT Docket No. 19-348)

• Auction of Flexible-Use Service Licenses in the 3.45-3.55 GHz Band
  The Commission will consider a Public Notice that would establish application and bidding procedures for Auction 110, the auction of flexible use licenses in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band. (AU Docket No. 21-62)

• Promoting the Deployment of 5G Open Radio Access Networks
  The Commission will consider a Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on the current status of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) and virtualized network environments, including potential obstacles to their development and deployment, and whether and how deployment of Open RAN-compliant networks could further the Commission’s policy goals and statutory obligations. (WT Docket No. 21-63)

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