47 CFR 1 - PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

The Commission eliminates the International Settlements Policy (ISP) and applies a modified version to Cuba. The Commission amends its rules and procedures to enhance its ability to respond to foreign carriers' anticompetitive behavior in and timely and effective manner. Eliminating the ISP will enable more market-based arrangements between U.S. and foreign carriers on all U.S.-international routes giving U.S. consumers competitive pricing when they make international calls. The Commission also adopts certain limited measures to improve the Commission's ability to protect U.S. consumers from the effects of anticompetitive conduct by foreign carriers.

This document contains a correction to the final regulations of the Commission's rules, which were published in the Federal Register on November 29, 2012, 77 FR 71131. The final regulations establish a do-not-call registry for public safety answering points (PSAP) and prohibit the use of automatic dialing equipment to contact those registered numbers.

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) increases the Nation's supply of spectrum for mobile broadband by adopting flexible use rules for up to 40 megahertz of spectrum in the 2 GHz band (2000-2020 MHz and 2180-2200 MHz), which we term the AWS-4 band. In so doing, we carry out a recommendation in the National Broadband Plan that the Commission enable the provision of stand-alone terrestrial services in the 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum band. Specifically, we remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to mobile broadband use of this spectrum, and adopt service, technical, and licensing rules that will encourage innovation and investment in mobile broadband and provide a stable regulatory regime in which broadband deployment can develop.

The Federal Communications Commission published in the Federal Register of November 16, 2011, a document amending § 1.229(b). Inadvertently, this rule was amended incorrectly. This document makes correcting amendments.

In this document, the Commission proposes rules for the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) H Block that would make available ten megahertz of spectrum for flexible use. The proposal would extend the widely-deployed Personal Communications Services (PCS) band, which is used by the four national providers as well as regional and rural providers to offer mobile service across the nation. The additional spectrum for mobile use will help ensure that the speed, capacity, and ubiquity of the nation's wireless networks keeps pace with the skyrocketing demand for mobile service.

This document proposes to amend the Commission's rules to implement allocation decisions from the World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 2007) (WRC-07), make other allocation changes that are not related to WRC-07, and make certain updates to its service rules. The proposed actions are designed to conform the Commission's rules to the WRC-07 Final Acts and to provide significant benefits to the American public.

The Media Bureau extends the deadline for filing comments and reply comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) in this proceeding which was published in the Federal Register on November 21, 2012. The extension will provide commenters with sufficient time to prepare comments and reply comments in response to the NPRM.

The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Wireline Competition Bureau (collectively, the Bureaus) seek further comment on specific issues relating to the implementation of Phase II of the Mobility Fund. The Bureaus also seek to develop a more comprehensive record on certain issues relating to the award of ongoing support for advanced mobile services.

In this document, the Commission adopts rules to create a Do-Not-Call registry for public safety answering points (PSAPs) as required by the “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012” (Tax Relief Act). Specifically, section 6507 of the Tax Relief Act requires the Commission, among other things, to establish a registry that allows PSAPs to register telephone numbers on a Do-Not-Call list and prohibit the use of automatic dialing equipment to contact those numbers. Therefore, the Commission adopts rules necessary for the creation and ongoing management of the Do-Not-Call registry, including requirements for adding PSAP telephone numbers, granting and tracking access by operators of automatic dialing equipment, and protecting the registry from unauthorized disclosure or dissemination of registered numbers. In addition, the Commission adopts specific monetary penalties for unauthorized disclosure or contact of any numbers on the PSAP registry. These provisions are designed to address concerns about the use automatic dialing equipment which can generate large numbers of phone calls in a short period of time, tie up public safety lines, divert critical responder resources away from emergency services, and impede access by the public to emergency lines.

In this document, the Commission is proposing to make changes to the criteria under which it considers applications and notifications from foreign carriers or affiliates of foreign carriers for entry into the U.S. market for international telecommunications services and facilities under section 214 of Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Act”) and section 2 of the Cable Landing License Act. By this document, the Commission seeks to eliminate outdated or unnecessary rules, simplify rules that it may retain, reduce regulatory costs and burdens imposed on applicants, and improve transparency with respect to filing requirements of the ECO Test. It also seeks to promote competition to achieve greater decisional flexibility in evaluating applications and notifications, and continue to protect important interests related to national security, law enforcement, foreign policy, and trade policy.

In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions” ( NPRM ), released October 2, 2012, the Commission considers matters related to the implementation of Congress's mandate to conduct an incentive auction of broadcast television spectrum as set forth in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Spectrum Act).

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission), via the Office of Managing Director, seeks comment on a report released by the Government Accountability Office Report on September 12, 2012, entitled, Federal Communications Commission, Regulatory Fee Process Needs To Be Updated. In addition, this document extends the reply comment date in response to the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on proposals to reform the Commission's policies and procedures for assessing and collecting regulatory fees.