Page 119 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The UK Government has launched a consultation Government has pledged to extend geographical 4G
on proposals to relax planning rules to improve rural mobile coverage to 95%. Minister of State for Housing
mobile coverage. The proposals include and Planning, Rt Hon Esther McVey MP, commented,
• changing the permitted height of new masts with “We’re committed to delivering the homes people
United the aim of promoting mast-sharing and minimizing across the country need, and that includes delivering
the need to build more infrastructure;
the right infrastructure such as broadband connectivity
Kingdom • allowing existing ground-based masts to be and good mobile coverage. There is nothing more
strengthened without prior approval to enable sites frustrating than moving into your new home to find
to be upgraded for 5G and mast-sharing; signal is poor. “That’s why we are proposing to
• deploying radio equipment cabinets on protected simplify planning rules for installing the latest mobile
and unprotected land without prior approval, technology – helping to extend coverage and banish
excluding sites of special scientific interest; and more of those signal blackspots, particularly for those
• allowing building-based masts nearer to roads to living in rural areas.” Hamish MacLeod, Director at
support 5G and increase mobile coverage. Mobile UK, said, “The current planning system does
The Government is also seeking views on what not support the fast, efficient rollout of 5G technology
measures industry could offer to mitigate the impact of that is vital for the UK’s digital economy. We welcome
any new infrastructure, including assurances of greater the Government looking at simplifying planning
use of existing sites and the removal of redundant processes to deliver better connectivity, and we stand
masts. Research earlier this year from which found that ready to work in partnership to ensure these much-
4G coverage from all four mobile operators in the UK needed reforms happen as quickly as possible.” The
only reaches 67% of the country’s geographical area, consultation closes on 5 November, 2019.
while 8% of the UK has no 4G mobile coverage at all. The (August 27, 2019) mobileeurope.co.uk

The FCC has just approved nearly five billion dollars line for Joe Six-Megabit goes down a bit too (ideally).
in subsidies for rural broadband operators to be paid Sure, it’s kind of trickle-down economics, but it doesn’t
out over the next 10 years. Recipients of this windfall have to trickle far. North and South Dakota are getting
will have to “maintain, improve, and expand” their the lion’s share of the fund, with a combined $1.3
United broadband infrastructure, especially in underserved billion headed their way, and some 96,000 homes and
businesses to be served. That’s an average of about
areas. Carriers in 39 states, American Samoa and
States many tribal lands will receive varying amounts of $13,000 per site over 10 years, or $114 per month per
funding depending on the number of people they serve, site. Sounds reasonable when you work it out that way
the cost of providing that service and so on. Naturally — this isn’t just a subsidy, but an investment. Iowa,
states with more people in rural areas receive more Minnesota and Texas all are getting quite a bit as well,
cash — you can see how your state made out in the but don’t be jealous if you’re in, say, California, which is
chart below. To be clear, this isn’t some spontaneous only getting $13 million over a decade to serve 1,300
cash drop by the FCC; it has to decide how to distribute new sites. There’s plenty of internet money swirling
the funds it receives from fees and such, and one of around California — its places that have more land than
the major efforts underway these days is improving cash that the FCC needs to help out.
rural broadband. But the specifics of how to disburse (August 23, 2019) techcrunch.com
billions over a decade, who qualifies, how to verify
their qualification and compliance with the terms — The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
it’s a complex process and must be negotiated and has discontinued a pair of regulatory obligations
approved, as this program eventually was. It’s different, relating to local loop unbundling (LLU), dismissing
by the way, than CAF II and other funds, which are also the 1996-era rules as ‘outdated, burdensome phone
directed at rural broadband but different methods, industry regulations.’ One requires price cap incumbent
for example working directly with municipalities or local exchange carriers (ILECs) to unbundle two-wire
contractors. I’ve asked the FCC for a bit more detail and four-wire analogue voice-grade copper loops,
and will update if I hear back. Rural carriers often have including the attached TDM equipment (‘UNE Analogue
higher costs for deployment and maintenance, and have Loop Requirements’). The second rule requires price
to pass that cost on to their subscribers. Considering cap ILECs to offer for resale at wholesale rates telecoms
rural broadband often has lower speed and reliability services that the ILEC offers at retail to non-carrier
than urban connections, these poor folks end up paying customers (‘Avoided-Cost Resale Requirements’). The
more for less. The fund is meant to defray those costs, FCC defends its position by saying: ‘Given the sweeping
both for carrier and subscriber. If Uncle Sam is paying changes in the communications marketplace since
half the bill to roll out new fiber, that means the bottom the passage of the 1996 Act, including the increasing

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