The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote this month on new rules intended to facilitate the more rapid deployment of high-speed cable networks.
In a statement issued earlier this month, FCC Chair Brendan Carr gave notice of the Commission’s intention to take a number of specific actions “to bring the regulatory environment in line with today’s communications marketplace, while retaining or adopting safeguards to protect public safety and ensure 911 continuity.”
Specifically, the proposed rules would:
- Eliminate filing requirements related to network change disclosure requirements;
- Overhaul and streamline rules applicable to technology transition discontinuance applications;
- Grant blanket authority for carriers to grandfather legacy voice services, lower-speed data telecommunications services, and interconnected VoIP service provisioned over copper wire.
According to Carr, “ action by the FCC “will free up billions of dollars in private capital so that Americans in communities across the country can go from old and slow copper lines to modern, high-speed ones…The FCC vote will finally allow those Americans to benefit from an upgrade to next-gen infrastructure.”
The statement by Commission Chair Carr on the plan to expand access to high-speed networks is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419224A1.pdf.
A draft version of the Report and Order on “Network and Service Modernization” detailing the proposed rule changes is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419252A1.pdf.
