The achairman ajit pai greeting witnesses as the meeting is set to get under way shortly. Well have live allday coverage here on cspan3. Welcome. December 2017 meeting of the federal Communications Commission. Madam secretary, turn the floor over to you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Good morning to you, and good morning commissioners. The purpose of the federal Communications Commission open meeting is for the commission to consider the matters that have been duly posted in accordance with the government and the sunshine act. As provided in the commissions rules, members of the public are invited to observe, which includes attending, listening, and taking notes, but does not include participating in the meeting, or addressing the commission. Actions that purposely interfere or attempt to interfere with the commencement or conduct of the meeting, or inhibit the audiences ability to observe or listen to the meeting, including attempts by audience members to address the commission while the meeting is in progress, are not permitted. Any person engaging in such behavior will be asked to leave the building, anyone who refuses to leave voluntarily will be escorted from the building. Additionally, documents presented to the chairman, commissioners, or staff, during the meeting, will not become part of the official record of any commission proceeding. Nor will they require further action by the commission. If you wish to comment on an ongoing proceeding before the commission please visit our website for more information. Thank you for your cooperation. For todays meeting, you will hear seven items for your consideration. First, you will consider a reporting order that would amend the commissions rules to add a dedicated evict code to facilitate the delivery of flu alerts over the Emergency Alert system, and wireless Emergency Alert system. Second, you will consider a notice of proposal making in order to strengthen the Rule Health Care program and improve access to telehealth in Rural America. Third, you will consider a Public Notice seeking input on a Draft Program comment addressing the historic reservation review requirement for colocating wireless communication facilities on twilight towers. Fourth you will consider a declaratory ruling and order that will restore Internet Freedom by returning Broadband InternetAccess Service to its prior classification as an Information Service, and reinstate the private mobile Service Classification of mobile Broadband InternetAccess Service. The item also will eliminate the commissions vague and expansive internet conduct standard, along with the brightline rules. Additionally it will modify the transparency rule to promote additional transparency while eliminating burdensome, and unnecessary requirements. Fifth, you will consider a reporting order to harmonize the commissions rules by eliminating the commercial mobile radio service. Presumption to be consistent with our flexible use approach to licensing. Sixth you will consider a notice of proposed rule making seeking comment on ways to modernize certain notice provisions in part 76 of the fccs rules governing multichannel video and Cable Television service. Seventh, you will consider a notice of proposed rule making seeking comment on whether to modify, retain, or eliminate the 39th National AudienceReach Company and slshz or the uhf discount used by broadcast television Station Groups to calculate compliance with the cap. This is your agenda for today. The first item today will be presented by the Public Safety and Homeland Security bureau, and is entitled amendment of part 11 of the commissions rules regarding Emergency Alert system. Lisa foulkes, chief of the bureau will give the introduction. Chief foulkes if youre ready, the floor is yours. Thank you. Good morning. Mr. Chairman, commissioners, happy thursday, and happy holidays. The Public Safety and Homeland Security bureau is pleased to present a order that would add a new alert option called a blue alert to the nations Emergency Alert system. Blue alerts can be used by state and local authorities to notify the public of threats to Law Enforcement, and to help apprehend dangerous suspects. Specifically, the order would add a new three character event code blu, blu, to the commissions emergency Earth Systems rules. The blu code will allow an easily recognizable blu alert to reach television, radio and wireless phones. As ive mentioned previously, i am the grand daughter of a former detective in the Philadelphia Police department. I appreciate the dangers that Law Enforcement officers face each day and the importance of protecting those who protect us. Todays order would support the rafael ramos, national blu alert act of 2015. Which was named for these two fallen new York City Police detective officers im sorry, department officers, before we present the item i would like to welcome the family and colleagues of the late detectives, ramos, and liu, who have traveled to be with us today. First, we will hear testimony from two family members of a late detective liu who are seated here. His father, and then detective lius wife, who will provide the familys sentiments in english. Also seated with us is nypd Sergeant Johnny yen who will serve as interpreter as needed. Next we will hear testimony from marissa ramos, the wife of the late detective ramos. Also joining us at the table is william bill johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, which represents about 1,000 professional Police Associations and units, and 241,000 officers throughout the United States. It is a member of the department of justices blue alert advisory group. I will now turn it over to detective lius father. [ speaking Foreign Language ] [ speaking Foreign Language ] [ speaking Foreign Language ] [ speaking Foreign Language ] [ speaking Foreign Language ] good morning, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, i would like to thank you for having us here today. As a parent of captain wianjan liu we believe in the safety of our Law Enforcement officers. Three years ago this month my son wianjan and detective ramos died in live duty. Thank you for honoring their names in the act. This is the best way to remember them. In addition, we are also grateful to all the Police Officers, and citizens who cared and helped us get through the past three years. We are grateful for the love, and help the nypd has given us. We thank you everyone for remembering our son, wenjian liu. We want to give special thanks to our Law Enforcement officers who put their lives on the line protecting us every day. God bless america. Thank you. I would like to start by saying an immense thank you to everyone who has worked hard to bring about the rafael ramos and wenjian liu alert. Thank you to all the commissioners who will be casting a vote on this very important matter. I would like to extend my gratitude to the fcc commissioner ajit pai along with the national blu alert coordinating vice im sorry. Vince davenport of the department of justice. I would also like to thank former president barack obama and former Vice President joe biden, for their hospitality, and for signing of this act in 2005. My hope is that this alert will prevent another family from having to endure what my family has had to endure in the past three years. I truly believe that the work that has gone in to making this act possible will save other officers lives. Thank you, and god bless you all. I would now like to introduce the members of my team from the Public Safety and Homeland Security bureau who are seated here. Mickey mcginnis Deputy Bureau chief, gregory cook, deputy chair of policy and licensing division, and linda pentro an attorney adviser in the bureaus policy and licensing division. She will present the item. Thank you. Good morning. Chairman pai and commissioners. As chief foulkes mentioned todays report and order would add a new blu alert code blu to the current list of authorized codes in the Emergency Alert system. The report and order finds that the Emergency Alert system would be an effective means of delivering blu alerts, and that a dedicated event code would facilitate the implementation of blu alerts in a compatible, and uniform manner nationwide. This reporting order also enables blu alerts to be delivered over the wireless Emergency Alert system. As with amber alerts, and weather alerts, it would be voluntary for state and local officials to send blu alerts. And voluntary for broadcasters and other Emergency Alert system participants to carry them. Specifically this report and order establishes that a blu alert could be issued when a Law Enforcement officer is missing, seriously injured, or killed in the line of duty, or there is an imminent and credible shortterm threat to cause death or serious injury to an officer. The suspect must still be at large, and there must be sufficient description of the suspect for the informations to be actionable. This report and order encourages stakeholders to Work Together voluntarily to implement blu alerts as swiftly as possible. And it sets a schedule of twelve months from the Effective Date of the rules to enable the delivery of blu alerts over the Emergency Alert system, and a period of 18 months from the Effective Date of the rules to enable the delivery of blu alerts over the wireless Emergency Alert system. This implementation schedule would ensure that all stakeholders have sufficient time to address any technical, resource and Training Needs for the successful delivery of blue alerts. The bureau recommends adoption of the item, and requests editorial privileges extending only to technical and conforming edits. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, as well, heartfelt thank you to our other colleagues on the bench for your statements, as well. We will now turn to comments from the bench. Beginning with commissioner clyburn. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Liu, ms. Chen, ms. Ramos, mr. Liu, i didnt need a translator to understand you this morning. I want to thank all of you for traveling to d. C. To take part in this event. Your son, your husband, served their community with great honor, dedication and courage. I have no real words to bring comfort to you. But i am pleased to be able to honor you in a small way with the adoption of a rule to promote an alert, where there is an incredible threat against a Law Enforcement officer. We honor their memories this morning in taking an important step to ensure that this agency, which Number One Mission is Public Safety, that we will aid y you, aid their fellow officers when theyre in the line of duty. An estimate im sorry. An estimated 240 million calls are made to 911 centers each year. But when the need arises for one of us to make that dreaded call for help, it is our nations First Responders, your husband, and your son, who dedicated themselves. They stepped up. The officers step up often at great risk to their own personal safety in order to ensure our safety. For that we will always be indebted. So i am thankful to be able to show my support for them to you, in todays order which revises the commissions Emergency Alert system, or eas rules. Adding a three is the most effective means to share Vital Information in sk t Critical Situations involving serious injury or death of a Law Enforcement officer in the line of duty. It is our most effective means to provide aid to an officer who may be missing in the connection with his or her duties and an imminent credible threat that an individual intends to cause serious injury to or to harm a police officer. These words on the page seemed so easy to read before meeting you this morning, but it is important that we do our part as a commission to update this eas system to disseminate broad er information that can help keep First Responders safe. As the city of new york have pointed out, issuing the blue alert via the eas system has the added benefit of further protecting the public from violent suspects. I want to thank the three of you. Supporting by your Law Enforcement family for coming here and reminding us of just how important, how vital our work is, our commitment is to each and every one of you and this entire nation. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. I think you demonstrated to everyone that communications is more than just words. Hopefully our action today provides some small comfort to your family in this immense loss. Suffice it to say i hope and think that we should all pray that the need for this new code never arises. I also join my colleagues in the sentiments theyve expressed this morning. Thank you all for being here today. With this order the fc does its part to help promote the safety of the Law Enforcement officials and the communities they serve. Last year 135 officers were killed in the line of duty. Many of the cases, the perpetrators posted imminent and Credible Threats to Law Enforcement officials ahead of time on social media. Some of them may have been thwarted by a coordinated National Blue alert network. In 2015 congress directed the attorney general to create such a Network Within the department of justice to support state and local Law Enforcement as they work. The lack of a dedicated event code is one of the primary obstacles to more states using blue alerts. Creation of such a code is the single greatest need of the National Blue alert network. We therefore adopt a new dedicated eas event code. This action should facilitate the delivery of blue alerts in a uniform and consistent manner nationwide and in the process increase the effectiveness of these potentially life saving warnings. I think the staff, the Public Safety, the Homeland Security bureau for their diligent work. I want to join my colleagues in acknowledging and thanking Law Enforcement and their families for all that youve done and all youre doing to help keep us safe. Thanks. Thank you, comissioner. Today the Commission HonorsRaphael Ramos by fulfilling the promise of the National Blue alert act signed into law by president obama in 2015. I am going to dissent on one aspect. In evaluating the merits of the blue alert system that we adopt today, the commission puts forward a cost benefit analysis that weighs the cost against the value of a Police Officers life. You heard that right. In deciding whether to impose this law, the commission puts a price on the death of First Responders and nets it out against industry expenses. Fortunately for Law Enforcement, the math works out. But this cold calculus is neither needed, nor smart. Theres a way to do cost benefit analysis thoughtfully and with dignity to those who wear the shield. This isnt it. On this disrespectful analysis i dissent. But in closing, i want to family members who are here today to know that we cannot understand the depth of your pain, but we are so pleased youre here today to honor your loved ones. Thank you. Before i begin my formal remarks, i also want to thank the families for your courage in being here today. And i also want to thank you for sharing some of your time with me this morning