January 2021 Open Commission Meeting

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.

The FCC held this Open Meeting on the subjects listed below. For the first five items, Bureau, Office, and Task Force leaders summarized the work their teams have done over the last four years in a series of panel presentations.

• Panel One
  The Commission heard presentations from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics.
• Panel Two
  The Commission heard presentations from the Wireline Competition Bureau and the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force.
• Panel Three
  The Commission heard presentations from the Media Bureau and the Incentive Auction Task Force.
• Panel Four
  The Commission heard presentations from the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Enforcement Bureau, and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
• Panel Five
  The Commission heard presentations from the Office of Communications Business Opportunities, Office of Managing Director, and Office of General Counsel.
• Promoting Telehealth for Low-Income Consumers*
  The Commission considered a Public Notice announcing the first round of selections for the Commission’s $100 million Connected Care Pilot Program to provide Universal Service Fund support for health care providers making connected care services available directly to patients, with an emphasis on serving veterans and low-income Americans. (WC Docket No. 18-213).
• Expanding Flexible Use of the 12.2-12.7 GHz Band*
  The Commission considered a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on whether to allow terrestrial flexible use (including mobile services) in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band (the 12 GHz band) without causing harmful interference to incumbent licensees. The Notice would seek input on possible methods for assigning new flexible-use rights while protecting incumbent users, and also on whether the costs of accommodating new services in the band would exceed the benefits. (WT Docket No. 20-443)
• Competitive Bidding Procedures for Auction of 2.5 GHz Band Licenses*
  The Commission considered a Public Notice to seek comment on competitive bidding procedures for Auction 108, an auction for flexible-use, geographic overlay licenses for counties with white spaces in the 2.5 GHz band. (AU Docket No. 20-429)

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

Meeting Documents

FCC Reviews Accomplishments of WTB, IB, OET, and OEA Teams

• News Release
• Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Presentation
• International Bureau Presentation
• Office of Engineering and Technology Presentation
• Office of Economics and Analytics Presentation

FCC Hears Reports from Wireline and Rural Broadband Auctions Teams

• News Release
• Wireline Competition Bureau Presentation
• Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force Presentation

FCC Reviews Accomplishments of Media and Incentive Auction Teams

• News Release
• Media Bureau Presentation
• Incentive Auction Task Force Presentation

FCC Hears from Consumer, Enforcement, and Public Safety Teams

• News Release
• Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Presentation
• Enforcement Bureau Presentation
• Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Presentation

FCC Reviews Accomplishments of OCBO, OMD, and OGC Teams

• News Release
• Office of Communications Business Opportunities
• Office of Managing Director
• Office of General Counsel

Related Materials

• Deletion Notice
• Agenda
• Tentative Agenda