April 2020 Open Commission Meeting

The FCC held this Open Meeting on the subjects listed below:

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and related agency telework and headquarters access policies, this meeting was held in a wholly electronic format and was open to the public on the Internet via live feed from the FCC’s web page at www.fcc.gov/live and on the FCC’s YouTube channel.

Public Drafts of Meeting Items – The FCC is publicly releasing the draft text of each item expected to be considered at this Open Commission Meeting. One-page cover sheets are included in the public drafts to help summarize each item. Links to these materials are provided below.

• Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band
  The Commission considered a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would promote innovation and the use of mid-band spectrum for broadband by allowing unlicensed operations in the 5.925-7.125 GHz band while protecting existing licensed operations. (ET Docket No. 18-295; GN Docket No. 17-183)
• Proposing the 5G Fund for Rural America
  The Commission considered a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order that would propose to establish the 5G Fund for Rural America, awarding up to $9 billion in support over 10 years for the deployment of 5G mobile broadband services in rural areas. (GN Docket No. 20-32)
• Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age
  The Commission considered a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would comprehensively update the Commission’s orbital debris rules for all Commission-authorized satellites. (IB Docket No. 18-313)
• ViaSat Market Access Request*
  The Commission considered an Order and Declaratory Ruling that would grant ViaSat’s request for U.S. market access to offer broadband services using a proposed constellation of non-geostationary orbit satellites. (IBFS File Nos. SAT-PDR-20161115-00120 and SAT-APL-20180927-00076)
• Improving Low Power FM Radio*
  The Commission considered a Report and Order that would modernize the LPFM technical rules to provide more regulatory flexibility for licensees. (MB Docket Nos. 19-193, 17-105)
• Expanding Availability of Video Description*
  The Commission considered a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose to expand video description requirements to 40 additional local television markets over the next four years to increase the accessibility of programming to blind and visually impaired Americans. (MB Docket No. 11-43)

*NOTE: These items were adopted prior to the Open Meeting teleconference and thus deleted from the agenda of the meeting itself.

Meeting Documents

FCC Opens 6 GHz Band to Wi-Fi and Other Unlicensed Uses

• News Release
• Report and Order
• Pai Statement
• O'Rielly Statement
• Carr Statement
• Rosenworcel Statement
• Starks Statement

FCC Proposes the 5G Fund for Rural America

• News Release
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Pai Statement
• O'Rielly Statement
• Carr Statement
• Rosenworcel Statement
• Starks Statement

FCC Updates Orbital Debris Mitigation Rules for the New Space Age

• News Release
• Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Pai Statement
• O'Rielly Statement
• Carr Statement
• Rosenworcel Statement
• Starks Statement

FCC Grants ViaSat's Satellite Constellation Request

• Order and Declaratory Ruling

FCC Modernizes Low Power FM Radio Rules

• Report & Order
• O'Rielly Statement

FCC Seeks to Expand Video Description for Visually Impaired Americans

• News Release
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• O'Rielly Statement

Related Materials

• Deletion Notice
• Agenda
• Tentative Agenda
• Circulation Documents:
  • Promoting Unlicensed Use of the 6 GHz Band
  • Proposing the 5G Fund for Rural America
  • Mitigating Orbital Debris in the New Space Age
  • Granting ViaSat’s Satellite Constellation Request
  • Improving Low Power FM Radio
  • Expanding Video Description Access for Visually Impaired Americans