Complete Story
02/02/2017
New FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee: Call for Nominations
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the formation of a new federal advisory committee to explore ways to accelerate deployment of high-speed internet access across the United States and to close the digital divide. Nominees for the committee “will be drawn from a diverse set of stakeholders to address specific regulatory barriers to broadband deployment in both urban and rural areas,” according to an FCC statement. The Commission says representatives of consumers and community groups, the communications industry, and federal, state, local, and tribal officials are encouraged to apply.
The Committee will reportedly look into further reforms to the FCC’s pole attachment rules; identifying unreasonable regulatory barriers to broadband deployment; ways to encourage local governments to adopt deployment-friendly policies; and other reforms within the scope of the Commission’s authority.
Nominations, which will be accepted until Feb. 15, should be submitted by e-mail to BDAC@fcc.gov. The FCC reports it expects to hold its first meeting of the new committee in Spring 2017.
