February 18, 2022

House Telecom Subcommittee Holds NTIA Oversight Hearing

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022 the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing, “Connecting America: Oversight of NTIA” with the Honorable Alan Davidson, Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In his opening testimony before the Subcommittee, he emphasized creating “good-paying jobs”, coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on spectrum issues, and supporting 5G infrastructure.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the ranking Republican on the full committee, offered an opening statement and emphasized the important role fixed wireless plays in closing the digital divide. NATE and Legacy Telecommunications hosted the Congresswoman for a tower climb last summer. Watch a video about her tower visit.

You can watch the hearing here. You can also review comments NATE recently submitted to NTIA in support of fixed wireless technologies here.

American Enterprise Institute Hosts NATE President & CEO

In the widely listened to Explain to Shane podcast from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Todd Schlekeway discusses how NATE members are navigating today’s telecommunications policy issues and working to power both our wired and wireless future networks.

They also covered the following topics:

· What does federal broadband funding mean for the physical side of US
  internet networks?

· How do interagency battles over next-generation network deployment impact
  the daily operations of tower climbers, technicians, and engineers?

AEI is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The organization says that “The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture."

Senate Commerce Committee Hears from FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn Again

President Biden’s FCC nominee, Gigi Sohn, whose nomination is considered controversial by Senate Republicans and some telecom and media organizations, appeared again at a hearing held by the Senate Commerce Committee.

Ms. Sohn has made comments that are supportive of our industry, but communications infrastructure has not been her priority in the telecom industry. Thus, NATE has not weighed in on her nomination as we have done with other federal nominees.

You can read more about Ms. Sohn’s nomination and the confirmation process in the following articles, which were selected to provide a balanced view:

NATE will continue to monitor Ms. Sohn’s confirmation process.

5G vs. the Airlines: How Did We Get Here?

On Thursday, February 3, 2022 the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation held a hearing to discuss 5G telecommunications and the aviation industry. The telecommunications industry was represented by Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of CTIA. The aviation industry was represented by The Honorable Steve Dickson, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator and six other witnesses!

The hearing was quite contentious at times and the telecom industry was purposefully outnumbered at the hearing. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) appeared hostile toward the telecommunications industry and he grilled Ms. Attwell Baker on a number of occasions, but she did a great job pushing back and supporting the launch of 5G and our industry.

You can read NATE’s statement after the hearing here.

For background on how we got to this point, read this article in Politico.

OSHA to Hold Meeting of National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and Heat Illness Work Group

The Department of Labor will hold a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) on Feb. 22, 2022. In conjunction with the committee meeting, the NACOSH Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group will hold its first meeting on Feb. 25, 2022. Both meetings are open to the public and will be held via teleconference and WebEx. Please review the Federal Register notice for more information.

NATE recently submitted public comments on OSHA’s proposed heat illness standard. Read NATE’s public comments here. You can also read more in Wireless Estimator.

NATE will continue to work and report on the OSHA heat illness rulemaking process.

FCC Commissioner Starks Announces Connecting Black Communities Event

On Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 11 a.m. ET, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will virtually host “Connecting Black Communities: Federal, State, and Local Strategies for Closing the Digital Divide.” This event will convene federal leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the FCC; state leaders from New York and Wisconsin; and local leaders from the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Augusta, Georgia.

The event will be live streamed at www.fcc.gov/live.