The Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) next open meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 10 AM ET (view live on FCC.gov). The Commission has released a tentative agenda for the meeting. The Commission will consider three orders during this meeting.
- Expanding Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band – The Commission will consider a rule that would expand the use of unlicensed 6 GHz bands by very low-power devices in additional sub-bands. This rule would expand consumer use of these bands in the following bands: U-NII-6 (6.425-6.525 GHz), U-NII-8 (6.875-7.125 GHz), U-NII-5 (5.925-6.425 GHz), and U-NII-7 (6.525-6.875 GHz).
- Updating Rules for Radio and Television Stations – The Commission will consider a proposed rule to amend current application processes for radio and television stations. This proposed rule would eliminate outdated requirements, expand who may sign an application certification, and require informal objections and responsive pleadings to be served to the relevant applicant or objector. FCC is seeking input on how to harmonize processing procedures and potential updates to requirements and licensing systems.
- Modifying Letter of Credit Rules to Facilitate Broadband Buildout – The Commission will consider a rule that would modify requirements for Letters of Credit through the Universal Service Fund (USF). The rule would change the requirement for service providers to participate from requiring a letter of credit with a Weiss bank safety rating of B- or better to instead require the bank to be a United States bank that is well capitalized. This rule will also change deployment requirements for recipients of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, allow Auction 903 support recipients to follow the letter of credit rules for Auction 904, and extend waivers for providers to continue service even if their bank’s safety rating has fallen.
Please contact David Mullis in the Office of Advocacy with your small entity concerns at David.Mullis@sba.gov or 202-830-2292.