FCC October, 2024 Open Meeting Agenda
Hearing aid compatibility and enhancements to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline take center stage at this month's meeting.
On October 17, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission will hold their monthly open meeting. This meeting will include votes on two telecom items and a presentation.
Achieving 100% Wireless Handset Model Hearing Aid Compatibility
The FCC will consider a Report and Order in WT Docket 23-388. This Order will set a 24-month mandate for manufacturers of wireless handsets to certify that all phone models that are sold or otherwise made available in the United States are hearing aid compatible. This would mean for the first time, the 48 million Americans with hearing loss will now be able to choose any phone model equally with those who do not have a hearing loss.
The Order also adopts a Bluetooth coupling requirement using non-proprietary methods, a 100% volume control requirement and revised labeling and website posting requirements that allow consumers to have access to the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.
If adopted, nationwide service providers will have 30 months to remove non-hearing aid compatible handsets from their product portfolios. Non-nationwide providers will have up to 42 months to comply with the new regulations.
Implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Act of 2018
The FCC will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in WC Docket 18-336. Currently, calls that are placed to 988 are being directed to a network of over 200 crisis centers that provide confidential support for people experiencing emotional, suicidal and substance use crises.
If adopted, the Report and Order will require wireless providers to provide georouting data with 988 calls to allow the routing of calls to an appropriate local crisis center in the area where the handset is currently located. To assure privacy, this functionality cannot disclose the exact location of the caller. Nationwide wireless providers will have 30 days from the rule’s effective date to implement this georouting. Smaller non-nationwide carriers will have up to 24 months.
If adopted, the Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would propose to adopt rules requiring covered text providers, including wireless providers to support the ability to georoute text messages to 988 to reach the appropriate crisis center and to provide the same georouting data to the 988 Lifeline. The item proposes that text providers would have 6 months from the effective date of the rule, if adopted in a further Report and Order, to implement this new functionality.
Connect2Health Task Force
Finally, the Commission will receive a presentation from the Connect2Health Task Force on updates to the maternal health data in the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. This platform provides users with the ability to visualize, intersect and analyze broadband and health data at the national, state and county level.
Media Bureau Restricted Adjudicatory Matter
This month’s agenda also has a restricted adjudicatory matter from the Media Bureau. These items are normally used for various matters that cannot be adopted under the delegated authority of the Media Bureau and must be referred to the full Commission for adoption.
These matters can include, but are not limited to, point hearing decisions in groups of mutually exclusive (MX) applications in the noncommercial educational (NCE) broadcast services as well as proposed forfeitures that exceed $20,000 or other complex transactions.
While we are unable to confirm this, it is our belief that this item may be a points decision from the 2021 filing window for new NCE broadcast station construction permits. Currently, there are 7 groups of MX applications from the 2021 window which have not been resolved. Of those, 5 groups have Petitions to Deny or Informal Objections filed in them. If this item is a NCE window issue, it should provide resolution to one or more of these MX Groups.
Meanwhile, 95 groups of MX applicants that filed in the 2023 filing window for new Low Power FM construction permits are awaiting their initial points decision. As we have stated before, it is our speculation that the resolution of the LPFM MX applications is taking longer than usual because of the extensive number of applicants for which REC had previously predicted point adjustments as a result of providing insufficient documentation to justify point claims. In the 2013 LPFM window, it took approximately 5 months from the close of the first 60-day settlement window to the release of the first points public notice. For 2023, we are not sure yet whether the points public notice will include all MX Groups nationwide or whether it will be split. In 2013, there were three points notices released; however, there were three times the MX Groups and applicants in that filing window.
In the past, these restricted adjudicatory matters are voted on and adopted by the full Commission prior to the open meeting. If this happens, we will see the item released by the FCC (which will be published at FCC.today) and the item will be removed from the agenda.
About the Open Meeting
The Open Meeting will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2024 starting at 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time. The meeting will be held at FCC Headquarters, located at 45 L Street NE in Washington DC. The meeting is open to the public. If you attend a meeting in person, arrive early for security screening. No appointment is required, but visitors must comply with various protocols to gain access to the meeting room.
The meeting will also be streamed live on YouTube and can be viewed at https://www.fcc.gov/live.