Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on Drive Test Parameters and Model for Alaska Plan Participants, 40826-40837 [2021-16125]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
40826
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Ohio on September 28, 2018, Texas on
September 12, 2018, and West Virginia
on February 4, 2019.
Under the terms of the proposed
consent decree, no later than April 30,
2022, EPA shall sign a final rule to
approve, disapprove, conditionally
approve, or approve in part and
conditionally approve or disapprove in
part, the 2015 ozone NAAQS good
neighbor SIP submissions from Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and
West Virginia. However, under the
proposed consent decree, if, by February
28, 2022, EPA signs a proposal of full
or partial disapproval of any of the six
good neighbor SIP submissions and
signs a proposal for a federal
implementation plan to implement any
such fully or partially disapproved SIP
submission, EPA shall have until
December 15, 2022, to sign a final action
to approve, disapprove, conditionally
approve, or approve in part and
conditionally approve or disapprove in
part, each such good neighbor SIP
submission.
In accordance with section 113(g) of
the CAA, for a period of thirty (30) days
following the date of publication of this
document, the Agency will accept
written comments relating to the
proposed consent decree. EPA or the
Department of Justice may withdraw or
withhold consent to the proposed
consent decree if the comments disclose
facts or considerations that indicate that
such consent is inappropriate,
improper, inadequate, or inconsistent
with the requirements of the Act.
III. Additional Information About
Commenting on the Proposed Consent
Decree
Submit your comments, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OGC–2021–
0444, via https://www.regulations.gov.
Once submitted, comments cannot be
edited or removed from this docket.
EPA may publish any comment received
to its public docket. Do not submit to
EPA’s docket at https://
www.regulations.gov any information
you consider to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include
discussion of all points you wish to
make. EPA will generally not consider
comments or comment contents located
outside of the primary submission (i.e.
on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission
methods, the full EPA public comment
policy, information about CBI or
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
multimedia submissions, and general
guidance on making effective
comments, please visit https://
www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epadockets. For additional information
about submitting information identified
as CBI, please contact the person listed
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document. Note
that written comments containing CBI
and submitted by mail may be delayed
and deliveries or couriers will be
received by scheduled appointment
only.
If you submit an electronic comment,
EPA recommends that you include your
name, mailing address, and an email
address or other contact information in
the body of your comment. This ensures
that you can be identified as the
submitter of the comment and allows
EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot
read your comment due to technical
difficulties or needs further information
on the substance of your comment. Any
identifying or contact information
provided in the body of a comment will
be included as part of the comment that
is placed in the official public docket
and made available in EPA’s electronic
public docket. If EPA cannot read your
comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your
comment.
Use of the https://
www.regulations.gov website to submit
comments to EPA electronically is
EPA’s preferred method for receiving
comments. The electronic public docket
system is an ‘‘anonymous access’’
system, which means EPA will not
know your identity, email address, or
other contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment.
Please ensure that your comments are
submitted within the specified comment
period. Comments received after the
close of the comment period will be
marked ‘‘late.’’ EPA is not required to
consider these late comments.
Gautam Srinivasan,
Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021–16155 Filed 7–28–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[WC Docket No. 16–271; DA 21–858; FRS
39694]
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Seeks Comment on Drive Test
Parameters and Model for Alaska Plan
Participants
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In the document, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) of
the Federal Communications
Commission (Commission) proposes
drive test parameters and a drive test
model required of two Alaska Plan
mobile-provider participants: General
Communication Inc. (GCI) and Copper
Valley Wireless. The Bureau seeks
comment on these proposals and on any
alternatives that it should consider.
DATES: Comments are due on or before
August 12, 2021. If you anticipate that
you will be submitting comments but
find it difficult to do so within the
period of time allowed by this
document, you should advise the
contact listed in the following as soon
as possible.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file
comments on or before the date
indicated above and must reference WC
Docket No. 16–271. Comments may be
filed using the Commission’s Electronic
Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper
copies.
• Electronic Filers: Comments may be
filed electronically using the internet by
accessing the ECFS: https://apps.fcc.gov/
ecfs/.
• Paper Filers: Parties who choose to
file by paper must file an original and
one copy of each filing.
• Filings can be sent by commercial
overnight courier, or by first-class or
overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All
filings must be addressed to the
Commission’s Secretary, Office of the
Secretary, Federal Communications
Commission.
• Commercial overnight mail (other
than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail
and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050
Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD
20701. U.S. Postal Service first-class,
Express, and Priority mail must be
addressed to 45 L Street NE,
Washington, DC 20554.
• Effective March 19, 2020, and until
further notice, the Commission no
longer accepts any hand or messenger
delivered filings. This is a temporary
measure taken to help protect the health
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
and safety of individuals, and to
mitigate the transmission of COVID–19.
People with Disabilities: To request
materials in accessible formats for
people with disabilities (braille, large
print, electronic files, audio format),
send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call
the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530
(voice).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information on this
proceeding, contact Matthew Warner of
the Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau, Competition & Infrastructure
Policy Division, Matthew.Warner@
fcc.gov, (202) 418–2419.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Bureau’s Alaska Plan
Drive Test Public Notice, adopted on
July 19, 2021, and released on July 19,
2021. The full text of this document is
available for public inspection on the
Commission’s website at: https://
www.fcc.gov/document/wtb-seekscomment-alaska-plan-drive-testing-andmodel.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
I. Public Notice
By this Public Notice, the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau)
seeks comment on proposed drive test
parameters and a model for the drive
tests required of certain mobile
providers participating in the Alaska
Plan.
The Commission adopted the Alaska
Plan Order in 2016 to address both fixed
and mobile voice and broadband service
in high-cost areas of the state of Alaska.
Eight mobile providers chose to
participate in the Alaska Plan and
submitted performance plans in which
they committed to specific deployment
obligations and performance
requirements sufficient to demonstrate
that Alaska Plan support would be used
in the public interest. In the
performance plans, providers
committed to cover a specified number
of people by five-year (December 31,
2021) and 10-year (December 31, 2026)
milestones at a specified minimum
speed, broken down by each level of
wireless service offered (2G/Voice, 3G,
and 4G LTE) and each type of middle
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
mile facility used in connection with
the deployed mobile technology. Each
participant must certify that it has met
the reporting milestones, including
minimum download and upload speeds
set forth in its approved performance
plans.
In addition, participants that receive
more than $5 million annually in Alaska
Plan support must supplement these
certifications with ‘‘data received or
used from drive tests analyzing network
coverage for mobile service covering the
population for which support was
received and showing mobile
transmissions to and from the . . .
network meeting or exceeding the
minimum expected download and
upload speeds delineated in the
approved performance plan[s].’’ The
Alaska Plan Order specifies that
participants may demonstrate coverage
of an area with a ‘‘statistically
significant number of tests in the
vicinity of residences being covered.’’
The Alaska Plan Order further specifies
that, as with Tribal Mobility Fund Phase
I, these drive tests may be conducted by
means other than in automobiles on
roads due to the unique terrain and lack
of road networks in remote areas of
Alaska. In the Alaska Plan Order, the
Commission delegated to the Bureau the
authority to ‘‘effectuate plan
implementation and administration,’’
including by ‘‘requir[ing] additional
information . . . from individual
participants that it deems necessary to
establish clear standards for
determining whether or not they meet
their five- and 10-year commitments.’’
Drive test results confirming qualifying
participants’ performance commitments
for the five-year milestone are due by
March 1, 2022.
Two participants meet the trigger for
the drive test requirement: GCI and
Copper Valley Wireless. Consistent with
the Alaska Plan Order’s delegation of
authority, we propose drive test
parameters and a drive test model to
ensure that GCI’s and Copper Valley
Wireless’s drive tests allow the
Commission to determine whether the
carriers met their five-year
commitments. Appendix A lists the data
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
40827
that we propose to require the carriers
to collect during the drive tests and the
format in which we propose it be
reported. The parameters listed in
Appendix A are consistent with
requirements the Commission has
established for mobile speed test data
collected in other contexts, and we
anticipate that these categories of data
will allow the Bureau to evaluate
whether GCI and Copper Valley
Wireless have met their deployment
benchmarks. Appendix B sets forth a
drive test model that would help to
ensure that the two carriers conduct a
‘‘statistically significant number of tests
in the vicinity of residences being
covered.’’ This proposal uses stratified
random sampling to provide the carriers
with locations to test within a grid
system of their reported coverage areas.
A confidence interval would be
constructed around the drive test results
to verify that a provider’s commitments
have been met or determine the
percentage by which the carrier’s
coverage has failed to meet its
commitment.
We seek comment on these proposals
and on any alternatives that we should
consider. Given that this Public Notice
only affects two Alaska Plan
participants, both of whom have been
informed of this action and have
indicated a desire to begin testing as
soon as possible to maximize their
ability to conduct drive testing during
less adverse weather conditions, we find
that a 14-day comment period will
allow sufficient opportunity for public
input and accordingly waive the default
reply comment period.
II. Appendix A: Mobile Speed Test Data
Specification
A. Overview
The Alaska Plan requires certain plan
participants to conduct and report speed
tests of their networks, as described in
this PN and appendices. Appendix A
describes the data to be collected and
the format in which it is to be reported.
B. Sample Data
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4725
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
EN29JY21.000</GPH>
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
40828
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
40829
EN29JY21.001</GPH>
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
40830
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
BILLING CODE 6712–01–C
C. Mobile Speed Test Data
This section details the data structure
common for all mobile speed test data
in the Alaska Plan. This file contains
records of each mobile speed test in
JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)
format matching the specification in the
table and sections below:
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
submission_type .......................
Enumerated ............................
Alaska Plan ............................
submissions ..............................
Array [Submission Object] ......
.................................................
Type of data submission.
—Value must be ‘‘Alaska Plan’’.
List of drive test data submissions.
Note: the specification for the Submission
Object is described in Section 0.
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
test_id .......................................
String ......................................
1599236609 ............................
timestamp .................................
Datetime .................................
2021–07–08T09:02:42–08:00
device_type ..............................
Enumerated ............................
Android ...................................
manufacturer ............................
model ........................................
operating_system .....................
String ......................................
String ......................................
String ......................................
Google ....................................
PIXEL 3 ..................................
Android 11 ..............................
app_id .......................................
app_version ..............................
provider_name ..........................
tests ..........................................
String ......................................
String ......................................
String ......................................
Test Object .............................
FCC Speed Test app .............
2.0.2496 ..................................
GCI .........................................
.................................................
Unique identifier used by the app to differentiate tests.
Timestamp of the time at which the set of
test metrics commenced.
—Value must match valid ISO–8601 format
including seconds and timezone offset,
e.g.: YYYY–MM–DD[T]hh:mm:ss±hh:mm.
Type of device.
—Value must be one of the following:
/iOS|Android/Other/;
Name of the device manufacturer.
Name of the device model.
Name and version of the device operating
system.
Name of the mobile speed test app.
Version of the mobile speed test app.
Name of the mobile service provider.
Information about the test metrics.
Note: the specification for the Test Object is
described in Section 0.
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
download ..................................
Download Test Object ............
.................................................
upload .......................................
Upload Test Object ................
.................................................
Information about the download test metric.
Note: the specification for the Download Test
Object is described in Section 0.
Information about the upload test metric.
Note: the specification for the Upload Test
Object is described in Section 0.
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
timestamp .................................
Datetime .................................
2021–07–08T09:02:42–08:00
duration ....................................
Integer ....................................
4997185 ..................................
bytes_transferred ......................
Integer ....................................
97382448 ................................
bytes_sec .................................
Integer ....................................
19487461 ................................
locations ...................................
Array [Location Object] ...........
.................................................
Timestamp of the time at which the test metric commenced.
—Value must match valid ISO–8601 format
including seconds and timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY–MM–DD[T]hh:mm:ss±hh:mm.
Duration that the test metric took to complete
in microseconds.
Measured total amount of data in bytes that
the test metric transferred.
Measure number of bytes per second that
the test metric transferred.
List of geographic coordinates of the locations measured during the speed test.
Note: the specification for each Location Object element is described in Section 0.
1. Submission Object
2. Test Object
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
3. Download Test Object
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
40831
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
cells ..........................................
Array [Cell Object] ..................
.................................................
List of cellular telephony information measured during the speed test.
Note: the specification for each Cell Object
element is described in Section 0.
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
timestamp .................................
Datetime .................................
2021–07–08T09:02:51–08:00
duration ....................................
Integer ....................................
5000085 ..................................
bytes_transferred ......................
Integer ....................................
15129062 ................................
bytes_sec .................................
Integer ....................................
3025761 ..................................
locations ...................................
Array .......................................
[Location Object] ....................
.................................................
cells ..........................................
Array .......................................
[Cell Object] ............................
.................................................
Timestamp of the time at which the test metric commenced.
—Value must match valid ISO–8601 format
including seconds and timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY–MM–DD[T]hh:mm:ss±hh:mm.
Duration that the test metric took to complete
in microseconds.
Measured total amount of data in bytes that
the test metric transferred.
Measure number of bytes per second that
the test metric transferred.
List of geographic coordinates of the locations measured during the speed test.
Note: the specification for each Location Object element is described in Section 0.
List of cellular telephony information measured during the speed test.
Note: the specification for each Cell Object
element is described in Section 0.
4. Upload Test Object
5. Location Objects
Each element of the ‘‘locations’’ array
contains the geographic coordinates of
the locations measured at the start and
end of the speed test, as well as during
the test (if measured).
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
timestamp .................................
Datetime .................................
2021–07–08T09:02:58–08:00
latitude ......................................
Decimal (3,7) ..........................
63.069168 ...............................
longitude ...................................
Decimal (3,7) ..........................
¥153.248195 .........................
Timestamp of the time at which the location
was recorded.
—Value must match valid ISO–8601 format
including seconds and timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY–MM–DD[T]hh:mm:ss±hh:mm.
Unprojected (WGS–84) geographic coordinate latitude in decimal degrees of the reported location where the test was conducted.
—Value must have minimum precision of 6
decimal places.
Unprojected (WGS–84) geographic coordinate longitude in decimal degrees of the
reported location where the test was conducted.
—Value must have minimum precision of 6
decimal places.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
6. Cell Objects
Each element of the ‘‘cells’’ array
contains telephony information about
the cell/carrier.
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
cell_id .......................................
physical_cell_id .........................
Numeric ..................................
Integer ....................................
32193025 ................................
192 ..........................................
Measured cell identifier.
Measured Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the
cell.
Note: this value is only required for LTE and
5G network generations and may be null
for 2G/3G network generations.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
40832
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
Field
Data type
Example
Description/notes
cell_connection .........................
Enumerated ............................
1 ..............................................
network_ ...................................
generation ................................
Enumerated ............................
4G ...........................................
network_subtype ......................
Enumerated ............................
LTE .........................................
rssi ............................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
¥57.2 .....................................
rsrp ...........................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
¥92.1 .....................................
rsrq ...........................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
¥12.5 .....................................
sinr ............................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
21.3 .........................................
ec_io .........................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
¥8.3 .......................................
rscp ...........................................
Decimal (3,1) ..........................
¥87.2 .....................................
cqi .............................................
Integer ....................................
11 ............................................
spectrum_bandwidth ................
Numeric ..................................
15 ............................................
arfcn .........................................
Integer ....................................
66786 ......................................
Connection status of the cell.
—Value must be one of the following codes:
0—Not Serving.
1—Primary Serving.
2—Secondary Serving.
Note: this value may be null if connection
status returns unknown.
String representing the network generation of
the cell.
—Value must be one of the following:
{2G/3G/4G/5G/Other}
String representing the network subtype of
the cell.
—Value must be one of the following:
{1X/EVDO/WCDMA/GSM/HSPA/HSPA+/
LTE/NR}
Measured Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) in dBm of the cell.
Note: this value is required for all network
generations and subtypes.
Measured Reference Signal Received Power
(RSRP) in dBm of the cell.
Note: this value is only required for LTE and
NR subtypes, and may be null for all other
network subtypes.
Measured Reference Signal Received Quality
(RSRQ) in dB of the cell.
Note: this value is only required for LTE and
NR subtypes, and may be null for all other
network subtypes.
Measured Signal to Interference and Noise
Ratio (SINR) in dB of the cell.
Note: this value is only required for 2G, LTE,
and 5G network generations, and may be
null for 3G.
Measured Energy per Chip to Interference
Power Ratio in dB of the cell.
Note: this value is only required for CDMA
1X, EVDO, WCDMA, HSPA, and HSPA+
network subtypes, and may be null for all
other network subtypes.
Measured Received Signal Code Power in
dBm of the cell.
Note: this value is only required for WCDMA,
HSPA, and HSPA+ network subtypes, and
may be null for all other network subtypes.
Measured Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) of
the cell.
Note: this field is only required for WCDMA,
HSPA, HSPA+, LTE, and NR network
subtypes, and may be null for all other network subtypes.
Total amount of spectral bandwidth used by
the cell in MHz.
Absolute radio-frequency channel number,
measured absolute physical RF channel
number of the cell.
III. Appendix B: Drive Test
Procedures—Technical Appendix
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
A. Introduction
This technical appendix provides
information about the proposed mobile
certification process for Alaska Plan
providers subject to drive testing. The
Alaska Plan requires such testing to
include ‘‘a statistically significant
number of tests in the vicinity of
residences being covered’’ to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
demonstrate that plan participants have
met the commitments in the
performance plans approved by the
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
(Bureau).
Remote Alaska is extraordinarily
sparsely populated; virtually all its
county-level geographies have
population densities of three or fewer
people per square mile. Accordingly,
testing every location for a provider’s
coverage would be unduly burdensome,
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and testing a sample of locations is
required.
For the sampling required to
implement the testing procedures under
the Alaska Plan, staff proposes to use
stratified random sampling. When
properly implemented, this sampling
methodology can achieve an optimal
balance between the statistical
significance required by the Alaska Plan
and the burden on providers to conduct
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
tests from a sufficient number of
locations.
The following sections describe the
details of the proposed testing process.
These technical details serve as a guide
to both the Bureau and the providers
doing the testing in determining:
• Where, within the geographic
boundaries of the coverage map, a
provider should conduct testing;
• how many locations a provider
must test;
• what speed test measurements will
be accepted for staff analysis by the
Bureau; and
• how Bureau staff will evaluate the
test data and adjudicate whether the
provider has passed or failed the testing
process.
B. Sample Frame Construction
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
To select locations for testing, one
must first construct a list (known as a
‘‘sampling frame’’ or ‘‘frame’’) of
possible locations to select from. The
construction of this frame is a multi-part
process. First, we propose creating a set
of ‘‘eligible populated areas.’’ Census
blocks eligible for frozen-support
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
funding would be included, and these
census blocks would be merged with the
populated areas of the Alaska
Population Distribution model. Second,
the Form 477 reported coverage for
which a provider committed to deploy
subject to testing would be merged with
the eligible populated areas to create a
set of ‘‘covered populated areas.’’ Third,
a grid of 1 km x 1 km squares would be
overlaid onto the covered populated
areas.1 Due to the fact that the Alaska
Population Distribution model
uniformly distributes population within
the populated area of a block, the
covered populated areas of a block
would likewise have a uniform
1 Staff proposes to use this particular type of grid
because census blocks are not of uniform
geographic size, which could require a different
number of speed tests for each block, and, in turn,
could increase the testing burden on providers.
Grids of smaller sizes and shapes were less likely
to provide easily accessible areas for testing given
the nature of roads and population distribution in
remote Alaska, and grids of larger sizes and shapes
would provide more heterogeneous wireless
performance, which would require more
cumbersome rules for actually conducting drive
testing to ensure geographic diversity of the sample
within each grid.
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
40833
population distribution. The total
population of each grid cell is the sum
of the populations of the covered
populated areas contained within a
given grid cell. For example, if a grid
cell contains 25% of the covered
populated area of a census block, that
grid would be credited with 25% of that
block’s covered population. That same
grid cell might also contain 100% of a
second census block’s covered
populated area. So all of that census
block’s covered population would be
credited to that grid cell, and the grid
cell’s total population would be the sum
of these two populations. Lastly, any
grid cell that contains fewer than
100,000 square meters of covered
populated area, or 10% of the grid cell,
would be excluded from the frame. This
ensures that all grid cells have a
reasonable testable area, reducing
burden on providers. Grid cells with
smaller levels of covered populated area
were less likely to have areas that were
publicly accessible or large enough to
conduct mobile testing. Figures 1–4
below detail this process.
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
Fig. 1: Eligible Blocks and Populated Areas
Fig. 2: Eligible Populated Areas and Coverage
Fig. 3: Covered Populated Areas with Grid
Fig 4: Grid Cells Eligible for Selection
For commitments that do not promise
different speeds for different middlemile technologies, the frame would
utilize the most recent Form 477
submissions from the provider, which
currently is the provider’s deployment
data as of December 2020. For areas
served by more than one technology, the
area would only be included in the
frame for the latest generation
technology. For example, if an area is
covered by both 2G and 3G, then the
area would only be included in the 3G
frame. As no commitments were made
for 5G service, any 5G coverage will be
included within the LTE frame. Where
a provider has committed to different
speeds in different areas due to different
middle-mile technologies, the frame
would rely on additional data submitted
by the provider to differentiate the
covered areas of a given technology
(e.g., LTE) with multiple middle-mile
types.
If a provider wishes to submit data
that better reflects the December 2021
Form 477 data that it is likely to submit
in March 2022 than the December 2020
data that the Commission currently has,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
then it should notify the Bureau within
the Public Notice comment cycle and
submit the updated coverage data
within 10 days of the adoption of the
Order. The Bureau will create a
stratified random sample for the
provider to test within 15 days of
receipt of updated data, or, in the event
of no new data submitted, 10 days of the
adoption of an Order.
C. Frame Stratification
Frame stratification is the process of
dividing a frame into subsets of similar
characteristics, called strata. This
methodology allows fewer grid cells to
be selected for testing while producing
the same level of accuracy as sampling
the entire frame, thus reducing testing
burden.
The number of strata for each frame
depends on the number of grid cells in
a given frame. To create the strata, the
Bureau proposes to use the cumulative
square root of the frequency (CSRF)
method, based on grid-level estimates of
covered population. CSRF is a standard
stratification method used to define the
breaks between strata. It creates equal
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
intervals not on the scale along the
stratification variable (in this case,
covered population) scale, but rather on
the scale along the cumulated square
root of the count (frequency) of grid
cells belonging to equal intervals of the
stratification variable.
Based on the data staff currently has,
it is expected that each frame will
contain between two and eight strata.
Staff analysis has found that this
stratification method produces strata of
more equal sizes than other potential
stratification methods (e.g., based on
census tracts), which reduces the
number of grid cells that need to be
selected for testing.
Further, staff proposes to select
certain grid cells with probability 1 (grid
cells that are called certainties) within
each stratum. This ensures that grid
cells that have a high population within
a given stratum are tested; this should
prevent the testing results of the stratum
from being skewed by outlier results
from low-weighted grid cells.
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
EN29JY21.002</GPH>
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
40834
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
D. Sample Size Calculation and
Allocation and Sample Selection
The Bureau proposes to decide the
number of grid cells that the provider
has to test (that is, the sample size, n),
based on a set of statistical and logistical
assumptions. The statistical assumption
is that the variance of the desired
estimate of average population served
cannot exceed a specified value, V. The
logistical assumption is that the cost of
drive testing is constant in every grid
cell selected in the sample. Under these
assumptions, a theoretical value for the
•
Number of grid cells in the stratum
•
Weight of the stratum
•
Mean of X in the stratum
40835
sample size can be calculated as
detailed below.
Let L denote the number of strata in
the frame and let the index h
distinguish these L strata. Further,
denote or define the following
quantities:
= Nh (thus, N = Lt=i Nh)
= Wh = NhfN
= xh =
:h rf:!11
xh,i where xh,i is the value of committed population
X in the ith grid cell of stratum h
Under our proposal, the theoretical minimum sample size is given by:
Once determined, n would be allocated among the different strata. Specifically, if nh is the
number of sample grid cells allocated to the stratum, then:
Guided by the allocation scheme from
the previous section, staff proposes to
use geographic information systems
(GIS) tools to randomly select grid cells
in each stratum, including options
within these tools that ensure
geographic dispersion for selected grid
cells within a stratum. The provider
subject to testing would then be notified
of the sample grid cells in which it
would be required to conduct on-theground speed tests.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
E. Drive Testing Data Collection
We propose that, within each selected
grid cell, a carrier would conduct a
minimum of 20 tests, no less than 50%
of which are to be conducted while inmotion from a vehicle. This is the
minimum number of tests to support the
use of the binomial distribution to
approximate the normal distribution
that is needed in calculating the gap in
coverage based on a one-sided 90%
confidence interval, as discussed later
in Section VII.
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
To be considered valid, each test
should be conducted between the hours
of 6:00 a.m. and 10 p.m., within the
selected grid cell, and report all relevant
parameters defined in Appendix A.
Each component of a test (i.e., download
and upload speeds) should have a
duration between 5 and 30 seconds.
Mobile tests are considered to be located
within the grid cell containing the
starting location, as a tester has full
control over the starting location of a
test but may not always be able to
control the ending location of a test.
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
EN29JY21.003</GPH>
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
This method of apportioning the sample among the various strata is called Neyman allocation.
40836
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
Testers should, however, attempt to
conduct a mobile test within a single
grid cell as much as is reasonably and
safely possible. A mobile test should
initiate when moving away from the
location of a stationary test after having
reached the speed of the surrounding
traffic, or a safe and reasonable
operating speed in the event no traffic
is present.
F. Statistical Analysis of Testing Results
Upon receipt of drive testing
submissions, the Bureau will perform a
statistical analysis of the data to
estimate the desired total population
covered. Because the sample is selected
using stratified random sampling,
estimation techniques appropriate for
this particular sampling method must be
used.
Stratified random sampling requires
an aggregate measurement from a
sampled grid cell that will be combined
with measurements from the other
sampled grid cells to calculate stratumlevel estimates of total covered
population. These estimates will, in
turn, be combined to produce an overall
estimate of covered population. Drive
tests conducted in a sample grid cell
will be aggregated based on the
following rule:
Let p be the percentage of drive tests
that meet or exceed the applicable
minimum.2 If p is at least 85%, then the
full population of the sample grid cell
will be deemed as covered; otherwise,
0% will be deemed as covered.
To calculate the stratum-level
estimates and the overall estimate of the
covered population, the Bureau
proposes to use the estimation method
appropriate for stratified random
sampling, described next.
Let xh,i be the (deemed) covered population in the ith grid cell of stratum h, where i
on the rule above, xh,i
= 1, ... , nh.
Based
= Xh,i if p ;;::: 0.85, and xh,i = 0 if p < 0.85. The stratum sample mean covered
population, :ih, is calculated as :ih
= L~='.\ xh,i fnh; the stratum sample total covered population is
Combining these stratum-level estimates, we arrive at the overall covered population mean, :i,
calculated as:
2 For 2G tests, the applicable minimum speeds
would be 22.8 kbps for both download and upload
tests, as this is the minimum equivalent data rate
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
Finally, the overall covered
ˆ , is estimated as
population total, X
ˆ
X = Nx¯.
G. Adjudication of the Outcome of the
Testing Process
Because the estimate of the total
ˆ comes from a
covered population X
ˆ against
sample, direct comparison of X
the committed covered population is
not appropriate. Instead, staff proposes
to construct a confidence interval that
takes into account the variability arising
from the estimate Xˆ, and use this
for voice service, accounting for the voice codec
rate and channel coding rate requirements. See
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4725
confidence interval to adjudicate the
outcome of the testing process.
Because the Alaska Plan calls for a
tiered approach in levying penalties for
providers failing the testing process, the
Bureau proposes to use a one-sided 90%
confidence interval for Xˆ to quantify the
gap in coverage. In particular, the
Bureau proposes to use the upper limit
of this confidence interval, which is
calculated as
X + 1.28N✓V(:i).
ETSI, CODECs, https://www.etsi.org/technologies/
codecs (last visited July 14, 2021).
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
EN29JY21.005</GPH>
To more accurately reflect coverage at
the time of deployment and to fulfill the
Alaska Plan’s requirement to evaluate a
provider’s commitments based on
December 2021 Form 477 coverage data,
we propose to adjust the covered
population of the sample frames Nh
relative to covered population according
to the December 2020 Form 477 data.
For frames where coverage would be
reduced, we would proportionally
reduce population, and, for where
coverage would increase, we would
proportionally increase population.
EN29JY21.004</GPH>
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
with variance:
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 143 / Thursday, July 29, 2021 / Notices
(f? + 1.28N✓V(x) ).
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
If the gap in coverage is no more than
5% of the total population of a given
commitment, no penalties will apply.
Otherwise, penalties will apply
according to the tiers adopted by the
Commission.
Additionally, it is possible to have a
negative gap in coverage if the upper
limit of the confidence interval is
greater than the total committed
population. If a provider has committed
to multiple tiers of technology (i.e., 2G,
3G, and 4G LTE), then any excess
coverage, as defined by a negative gap
in coverage, can be applied to the next
lowest tier of technology. For example,
if a provider has committed to cover
25,000 people with 4G LTE and the
upper limit of the confidence interval
shows adequate coverage for 30,000
people, then the remaining 5,000
coverage can be applied to its 3G
commitment. This process is iterative,
so any further excess coverage can be
applied to its 2G commitment.
Accordingly, the formula above would
be re-written as:
Gap in Coverage = Total Population
Coverage Commitment¥( Xˆ +
1.28N√V(x¯) + Excess Coverage from
Higher Technology)
This methodology therefore will not
punish carriers for improving coverage
beyond what they committed.
IV. Procedural Matters
Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Certification. As required by the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, the
Commission certifies that the proposals
in this Public Notice, if adopted, will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
This Public Notice seeks comment on
the drive testing proposals required by
the Alaska Plan for those wireless
participants receiving more than $5
million in annual Alaska Plan support,
excluding the smaller wireless
participants that receive less than that
in annual support. The proposals, if
adopted, would apply to only two
entities, one of which does not qualify
as a small entity.
Ex Parte Presentations. This
proceeding shall be treated as a ‘‘permitbut-disclose’’ proceeding in accordance
with the Commission’s ex parte rules.
Persons making ex parte presentations
must file a copy of any written
presentation or a memorandum
summarizing any oral presentation
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:19 Jul 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
within two business days after the
presentation (unless a different deadline
applicable to the Sunshine period
applies). Persons making oral ex parte
presentations are reminded that
memoranda summarizing the
presentation must (1) list all persons
attending or otherwise participating in
the meeting at which the ex parte
presentation was made, and (2)
summarize all data presented and
arguments made during the
presentation. If the presentation
consisted in whole or in part of the
presentation of data or arguments
already reflected in the presenter’s
written comments, memoranda or other
filings in the proceeding, the presenter
may provide citations to such data or
arguments in his or her prior comments,
memoranda, or other filings (specifying
the relevant page and/or paragraph
numbers where such data or arguments
can be found) in lieu of summarizing
them in the memorandum. Documents
shown or given to Commission staff
during ex parte meetings are deemed to
be written ex parte presentations and
must be filed consistent with rule
1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by
rule 1.49(f) or for which the
Commission has made available a
method of electronic filing, written ex
parte presentations and memoranda
summarizing oral ex parte
presentations, and all attachments
thereto, must be filed through the
electronic comment filing system
available for that proceeding, and must
be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc,
.xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants
in this proceeding should familiarize
themselves with the Commission’s ex
parte rules.
Legal Basis. The Bureau is authorized
to propose the drive test parameters and
model pursuant to the authority
delegated in the Alaska Plan Order, 31
FCC Rcd 10139, 10160, 10166, paras. 67,
85 (2016) and 47 CFR 54.317, 54.320–
54.321.
Federal Communications Commission.
Amy Brett,
Acting Chief of Staff, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2021–16125 Filed 7–27–21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
MB Docket No. 18–349; DA 21–851; FR
ID 40028]
Media Bureau Extends Comment and
Reply Comment Deadlines To Update
the Record in the 2018 Quadrennial
Review
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In this document, the
Commission grants a motion for
extension of time in the 2018
Quadrennial Review record update to
extend the comment and reply comment
deadlines.
DATES:
Comment Date: September 2, 2021.
Reply Comment Date: October 1,
2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ty
Bream, Media Bureau, Industry Analysis
Division, Ty.Bream@fcc.gov, (202) 418–
0644.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Media Bureau’s Public
Notice in MB Docket No. 18–349, DA
21–851, that was released on July 16,
2021. The complete text of this
document is available electronically via
the search function on the FCC’s
Electronic Document Management
System (EDOCS) web page at https://
apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/ (https://
apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/). Documents
will be available electronically in ASCII,
Microsoft Word, and/or Adobe Acrobat.
Alternative formats are available for
people with disabilities (Braille, large
print, electronic files, audio format, etc.)
and reasonable accommodations
(accessible format documents, sign
language interpreters, CART, etc.) may
be requested by sending an email to
fcc504@fcc.gov or calling the FCC’s
Consumer and Governmental Affairs
Bureau at (202) 418–0530 (voice), (202)
418–0432 (TTY).
SUMMARY:
Synopsis
1. By this Public Notice, the Media
Bureau extends the deadlines for filing
comments and reply comments in the
above-captioned proceeding. On June 4,
2021, the Media Bureau released a
Public Notice, 86 FR 35089 (July 1,
2021), seeking to update the record in
the 2018 Quadrennial Review
proceeding, in which the Commission
has sought comment, pursuant to its
obligation under Section 202(h) of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, on
whether its media ownership rules
remain ‘‘necessary in the public interest
E:\FR\FM\29JYN1.SGM
29JYN1
EN29JY21.006</GPH>
The gap in coverage is then calculated
as:
Gap in Coverage = Total Population
Coverage Commitment ¥
40837
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 143 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40826-40837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16125]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[WC Docket No. 16-271; DA 21-858; FRS 39694]
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on Drive Test
Parameters and Model for Alaska Plan Participants
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In the document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
(Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes
drive test parameters and a drive test model required of two Alaska
Plan mobile-provider participants: General Communication Inc. (GCI) and
Copper Valley Wireless. The Bureau seeks comment on these proposals and
on any alternatives that it should consider.
DATES: Comments are due on or before August 12, 2021. If you anticipate
that you will be submitting comments but find it difficult to do so
within the period of time allowed by this document, you should advise
the contact listed in the following as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file comments on or before the date
indicated above and must reference WC Docket No. 16-271. Comments may
be filed using the Commission's Electronic Filing System (ECFS) or by
filing paper copies.
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically
using the internet by accessing the ECFS: https://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/.
Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must
file an original and one copy of each filing.
Filings can be sent by commercial overnight courier, or by
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be
addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary,
Federal Communications Commission.
Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive,
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express,
and Priority mail must be addressed to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC
20554.
Effective March 19, 2020, and until further notice, the
Commission no longer accepts any hand or messenger delivered filings.
This is a temporary measure taken to help protect the health
[[Page 40827]]
and safety of individuals, and to mitigate the transmission of COVID-
19.
People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible
formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic
files, audio format), send an email to [email protected] or call the FCC's
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on this
proceeding, contact Matthew Warner of the Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau, Competition & Infrastructure Policy Division,
[email protected], (202) 418-2419.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Bureau's Alaska
Plan Drive Test Public Notice, adopted on July 19, 2021, and released
on July 19, 2021. The full text of this document is available for
public inspection on the Commission's website at: https://www.fcc.gov/document/wtb-seeks-comment-alaska-plan-drive-testing-and-model.
I. Public Notice
By this Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
(Bureau) seeks comment on proposed drive test parameters and a model
for the drive tests required of certain mobile providers participating
in the Alaska Plan.
The Commission adopted the Alaska Plan Order in 2016 to address
both fixed and mobile voice and broadband service in high-cost areas of
the state of Alaska. Eight mobile providers chose to participate in the
Alaska Plan and submitted performance plans in which they committed to
specific deployment obligations and performance requirements sufficient
to demonstrate that Alaska Plan support would be used in the public
interest. In the performance plans, providers committed to cover a
specified number of people by five-year (December 31, 2021) and 10-year
(December 31, 2026) milestones at a specified minimum speed, broken
down by each level of wireless service offered (2G/Voice, 3G, and 4G
LTE) and each type of middle mile facility used in connection with the
deployed mobile technology. Each participant must certify that it has
met the reporting milestones, including minimum download and upload
speeds set forth in its approved performance plans.
In addition, participants that receive more than $5 million
annually in Alaska Plan support must supplement these certifications
with ``data received or used from drive tests analyzing network
coverage for mobile service covering the population for which support
was received and showing mobile transmissions to and from the . . .
network meeting or exceeding the minimum expected download and upload
speeds delineated in the approved performance plan[s].'' The Alaska
Plan Order specifies that participants may demonstrate coverage of an
area with a ``statistically significant number of tests in the vicinity
of residences being covered.'' The Alaska Plan Order further specifies
that, as with Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I, these drive tests may be
conducted by means other than in automobiles on roads due to the unique
terrain and lack of road networks in remote areas of Alaska. In the
Alaska Plan Order, the Commission delegated to the Bureau the authority
to ``effectuate plan implementation and administration,'' including by
``requir[ing] additional information . . . from individual participants
that it deems necessary to establish clear standards for determining
whether or not they meet their five- and 10-year commitments.'' Drive
test results confirming qualifying participants' performance
commitments for the five-year milestone are due by March 1, 2022.
Two participants meet the trigger for the drive test requirement:
GCI and Copper Valley Wireless. Consistent with the Alaska Plan Order's
delegation of authority, we propose drive test parameters and a drive
test model to ensure that GCI's and Copper Valley Wireless's drive
tests allow the Commission to determine whether the carriers met their
five-year commitments. Appendix A lists the data that we propose to
require the carriers to collect during the drive tests and the format
in which we propose it be reported. The parameters listed in Appendix A
are consistent with requirements the Commission has established for
mobile speed test data collected in other contexts, and we anticipate
that these categories of data will allow the Bureau to evaluate whether
GCI and Copper Valley Wireless have met their deployment benchmarks.
Appendix B sets forth a drive test model that would help to ensure that
the two carriers conduct a ``statistically significant number of tests
in the vicinity of residences being covered.'' This proposal uses
stratified random sampling to provide the carriers with locations to
test within a grid system of their reported coverage areas. A
confidence interval would be constructed around the drive test results
to verify that a provider's commitments have been met or determine the
percentage by which the carrier's coverage has failed to meet its
commitment.
We seek comment on these proposals and on any alternatives that we
should consider. Given that this Public Notice only affects two Alaska
Plan participants, both of whom have been informed of this action and
have indicated a desire to begin testing as soon as possible to
maximize their ability to conduct drive testing during less adverse
weather conditions, we find that a 14-day comment period will allow
sufficient opportunity for public input and accordingly waive the
default reply comment period.
II. Appendix A: Mobile Speed Test Data Specification
A. Overview
The Alaska Plan requires certain plan participants to conduct and
report speed tests of their networks, as described in this PN and
appendices. Appendix A describes the data to be collected and the
format in which it is to be reported.
B. Sample Data
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
[[Page 40828]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.000
[[Page 40829]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.001
[[Page 40830]]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-C
C. Mobile Speed Test Data
This section details the data structure common for all mobile speed
test data in the Alaska Plan. This file contains records of each mobile
speed test in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format matching the
specification in the table and sections below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
submission_type...................... Enumerated............. Alaska Plan............ Type of data
submission.
--Value must be
``Alaska Plan''.
submissions.......................... Array [Submission ....................... List of drive test data
Object]. submissions.
Note: the specification
for the Submission
Object is described in
Section 0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Submission Object
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
test_id.............................. String................. 1599236609............. Unique identifier used
by the app to
differentiate tests.
timestamp............................ Datetime............... 2021-07-08T09:02:42-08: Timestamp of the time
00. at which the set of
test metrics
commenced.
--Value must match
valid ISO-8601 format
including seconds and
timezone offset, e.g.:
YYYY-MM-DD[T]hh:mm:ss<
plus-minushh:mm.
device_type.......................... Enumerated............. Android................ Type of device.
--Value must be one of
the following:
/iOS[bond]Android/Other/
;
manufacturer......................... String................. Google................. Name of the device
manufacturer.
model................................ String................. PIXEL 3................ Name of the device
model.
operating_system..................... String................. Android 11............. Name and version of the
device operating
system.
app_id............................... String................. FCC Speed Test app..... Name of the mobile
speed test app.
app_version.......................... String................. 2.0.2496............... Version of the mobile
speed test app.
provider_name........................ String................. GCI.................... Name of the mobile
service provider.
tests................................ Test Object............ ....................... Information about the
test metrics.
Note: the specification
for the Test Object is
described in Section
0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Test Object
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
download............................. Download Test Object... ....................... Information about the
download test metric.
Note: the specification
for the Download Test
Object is described in
Section 0.
upload............................... Upload Test Object..... ....................... Information about the
upload test metric.
Note: the specification
for the Upload Test
Object is described in
Section 0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Download Test Object
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
timestamp............................ Datetime............... 2021-07-08T09:02:42-08: Timestamp of the time
00. at which the test
metric commenced.
--Value must match
valid ISO-8601 format
including seconds and
timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY-MM-DD[T]hh:mm:ss<
plus-minushh:mm.
duration............................. Integer................ 4997185................ Duration that the test
metric took to
complete in
microseconds.
bytes_transferred.................... Integer................ 97382448............... Measured total amount
of data in bytes that
the test metric
transferred.
bytes_sec............................ Integer................ 19487461............... Measure number of bytes
per second that the
test metric
transferred.
locations............................ Array [Location Object] ....................... List of geographic
coordinates of the
locations measured
during the speed test.
Note: the specification
for each Location
Object element is
described in Section
0.
[[Page 40831]]
cells................................ Array [Cell Object].... ....................... List of cellular
telephony information
measured during the
speed test.
Note: the specification
for each Cell Object
element is described
in Section 0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Upload Test Object
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
timestamp............................ Datetime............... 2021-07-08T09:02:51-08: Timestamp of the time
00. at which the test
metric commenced.
--Value must match
valid ISO-8601 format
including seconds and
timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY-MM-DD[T]hh:mm:ss<
plus-minushh:mm.
duration............................. Integer................ 5000085................ Duration that the test
metric took to
complete in
microseconds.
bytes_transferred.................... Integer................ 15129062............... Measured total amount
of data in bytes that
the test metric
transferred.
bytes_sec............................ Integer................ 3025761................ Measure number of bytes
per second that the
test metric
transferred.
locations............................ Array.................. ....................... List of geographic
[Location Object]...... coordinates of the
locations measured
during the speed test.
Note: the specification
for each Location
Object element is
described in Section
0.
cells................................ Array.................. ....................... List of cellular
[Cell Object].......... telephony information
measured during the
speed test.
Note: the specification
for each Cell Object
element is described
in Section 0.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Location Objects
Each element of the ``locations'' array contains the geographic
coordinates of the locations measured at the start and end of the speed
test, as well as during the test (if measured).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
timestamp............................ Datetime............... 2021-07-08T09:02:58-08: Timestamp of the time
00. at which the location
was recorded.
--Value must match
valid ISO-8601 format
including seconds and
timezone offset, i.e.:
YYYY-MM-DD[T]hh:mm:ss<
plus-minushh:mm.
latitude............................. Decimal (3,7).......... 63.069168.............. Unprojected (WGS-84)
geographic coordinate
latitude in decimal
degrees of the
reported location
where the test was
conducted.
--Value must have
minimum precision of 6
decimal places.
longitude............................ Decimal (3,7).......... -153.248195............ Unprojected (WGS-84)
geographic coordinate
longitude in decimal
degrees of the
reported location
where the test was
conducted.
--Value must have
minimum precision of 6
decimal places.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Cell Objects
Each element of the ``cells'' array contains telephony information
about the cell/carrier.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Field Data type Example Description/notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cell_id.............................. Numeric................ 32193025............... Measured cell
identifier.
physical_cell_id..................... Integer................ 192.................... Measured Physical Cell
Identity (PCI) of the
cell.
Note: this value is
only required for LTE
and 5G network
generations and may be
null for 2G/3G network
generations.
[[Page 40832]]
cell_connection...................... Enumerated............. 1...................... Connection status of
the cell.
--Value must be one of
the following codes:
0--Not Serving.
1--Primary Serving.
2--Secondary Serving.
Note: this value may be
null if connection
status returns
unknown.
network_............................. Enumerated............. 4G..................... String representing the
generation........................... network generation of
the cell.
--Value must be one of
the following:
{2G/3G/4G/5G/
Other{time}
network_subtype...................... Enumerated............. LTE.................... String representing the
network subtype of the
cell.
--Value must be one of
the following:
{1X/EVDO/WCDMA/GSM/HSPA/
HSPA+/LTE/NR{time}
rssi................................. Decimal (3,1).......... -57.2.................. Measured Received
Signal Strength
Indication (RSSI) in
dBm of the cell.
Note: this value is
required for all
network generations
and subtypes.
rsrp................................. Decimal (3,1).......... -92.1.................. Measured Reference
Signal Received Power
(RSRP) in dBm of the
cell.
Note: this value is
only required for LTE
and NR subtypes, and
may be null for all
other network
subtypes.
rsrq................................. Decimal (3,1).......... -12.5.................. Measured Reference
Signal Received
Quality (RSRQ) in dB
of the cell.
Note: this value is
only required for LTE
and NR subtypes, and
may be null for all
other network
subtypes.
sinr................................. Decimal (3,1).......... 21.3................... Measured Signal to
Interference and Noise
Ratio (SINR) in dB of
the cell.
Note: this value is
only required for 2G,
LTE, and 5G network
generations, and may
be null for 3G.
ec_io................................ Decimal (3,1).......... -8.3................... Measured Energy per
Chip to Interference
Power Ratio in dB of
the cell.
Note: this value is
only required for CDMA
1X, EVDO, WCDMA, HSPA,
and HSPA+ network
subtypes, and may be
null for all other
network subtypes.
rscp................................. Decimal (3,1).......... -87.2.................. Measured Received
Signal Code Power in
dBm of the cell.
Note: this value is
only required for
WCDMA, HSPA, and HSPA+
network subtypes, and
may be null for all
other network
subtypes.
cqi.................................. Integer................ 11..................... Measured Channel
Quality Indicator
(CQI) of the cell.
Note: this field is
only required for
WCDMA, HSPA, HSPA+,
LTE, and NR network
subtypes, and may be
null for all other
network subtypes.
spectrum_bandwidth................... Numeric................ 15..................... Total amount of
spectral bandwidth
used by the cell in
MHz.
arfcn................................ Integer................ 66786.................. Absolute radio-
frequency channel
number, measured
absolute physical RF
channel number of the
cell.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Appendix B: Drive Test Procedures--Technical Appendix
A. Introduction
This technical appendix provides information about the proposed
mobile certification process for Alaska Plan providers subject to drive
testing. The Alaska Plan requires such testing to include ``a
statistically significant number of tests in the vicinity of residences
being covered'' to demonstrate that plan participants have met the
commitments in the performance plans approved by the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau).
Remote Alaska is extraordinarily sparsely populated; virtually all
its county-level geographies have population densities of three or
fewer people per square mile. Accordingly, testing every location for a
provider's coverage would be unduly burdensome, and testing a sample of
locations is required.
For the sampling required to implement the testing procedures under
the Alaska Plan, staff proposes to use stratified random sampling. When
properly implemented, this sampling methodology can achieve an optimal
balance between the statistical significance required by the Alaska
Plan and the burden on providers to conduct
[[Page 40833]]
tests from a sufficient number of locations.
The following sections describe the details of the proposed testing
process. These technical details serve as a guide to both the Bureau
and the providers doing the testing in determining:
Where, within the geographic boundaries of the coverage
map, a provider should conduct testing;
how many locations a provider must test;
what speed test measurements will be accepted for staff
analysis by the Bureau; and
how Bureau staff will evaluate the test data and
adjudicate whether the provider has passed or failed the testing
process.
B. Sample Frame Construction
To select locations for testing, one must first construct a list
(known as a ``sampling frame'' or ``frame'') of possible locations to
select from. The construction of this frame is a multi-part process.
First, we propose creating a set of ``eligible populated areas.''
Census blocks eligible for frozen-support funding would be included,
and these census blocks would be merged with the populated areas of the
Alaska Population Distribution model. Second, the Form 477 reported
coverage for which a provider committed to deploy subject to testing
would be merged with the eligible populated areas to create a set of
``covered populated areas.'' Third, a grid of 1 km x 1 km squares would
be overlaid onto the covered populated areas.\1\ Due to the fact that
the Alaska Population Distribution model uniformly distributes
population within the populated area of a block, the covered populated
areas of a block would likewise have a uniform population distribution.
The total population of each grid cell is the sum of the populations of
the covered populated areas contained within a given grid cell. For
example, if a grid cell contains 25% of the covered populated area of a
census block, that grid would be credited with 25% of that block's
covered population. That same grid cell might also contain 100% of a
second census block's covered populated area. So all of that census
block's covered population would be credited to that grid cell, and the
grid cell's total population would be the sum of these two populations.
Lastly, any grid cell that contains fewer than 100,000 square meters of
covered populated area, or 10% of the grid cell, would be excluded from
the frame. This ensures that all grid cells have a reasonable testable
area, reducing burden on providers. Grid cells with smaller levels of
covered populated area were less likely to have areas that were
publicly accessible or large enough to conduct mobile testing. Figures
1-4 below detail this process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Staff proposes to use this particular type of grid because
census blocks are not of uniform geographic size, which could
require a different number of speed tests for each block, and, in
turn, could increase the testing burden on providers. Grids of
smaller sizes and shapes were less likely to provide easily
accessible areas for testing given the nature of roads and
population distribution in remote Alaska, and grids of larger sizes
and shapes would provide more heterogeneous wireless performance,
which would require more cumbersome rules for actually conducting
drive testing to ensure geographic diversity of the sample within
each grid.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 40834]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.002
For commitments that do not promise different speeds for different
middle-mile technologies, the frame would utilize the most recent Form
477 submissions from the provider, which currently is the provider's
deployment data as of December 2020. For areas served by more than one
technology, the area would only be included in the frame for the latest
generation technology. For example, if an area is covered by both 2G
and 3G, then the area would only be included in the 3G frame. As no
commitments were made for 5G service, any 5G coverage will be included
within the LTE frame. Where a provider has committed to different
speeds in different areas due to different middle-mile technologies,
the frame would rely on additional data submitted by the provider to
differentiate the covered areas of a given technology (e.g., LTE) with
multiple middle-mile types.
If a provider wishes to submit data that better reflects the
December 2021 Form 477 data that it is likely to submit in March 2022
than the December 2020 data that the Commission currently has, then it
should notify the Bureau within the Public Notice comment cycle and
submit the updated coverage data within 10 days of the adoption of the
Order. The Bureau will create a stratified random sample for the
provider to test within 15 days of receipt of updated data, or, in the
event of no new data submitted, 10 days of the adoption of an Order.
C. Frame Stratification
Frame stratification is the process of dividing a frame into
subsets of similar characteristics, called strata. This methodology
allows fewer grid cells to be selected for testing while producing the
same level of accuracy as sampling the entire frame, thus reducing
testing burden.
The number of strata for each frame depends on the number of grid
cells in a given frame. To create the strata, the Bureau proposes to
use the cumulative square root of the frequency (CSRF) method, based on
grid-level estimates of covered population. CSRF is a standard
stratification method used to define the breaks between strata. It
creates equal intervals not on the scale along the stratification
variable (in this case, covered population) scale, but rather on the
scale along the cumulated square root of the count (frequency) of grid
cells belonging to equal intervals of the stratification variable.
Based on the data staff currently has, it is expected that each
frame will contain between two and eight strata. Staff analysis has
found that this stratification method produces strata of more equal
sizes than other potential stratification methods (e.g., based on
census tracts), which reduces the number of grid cells that need to be
selected for testing.
Further, staff proposes to select certain grid cells with
probability 1 (grid cells that are called certainties) within each
stratum. This ensures that grid cells that have a high population
within a given stratum are tested; this should prevent the testing
results of the stratum from being skewed by outlier results from low-
weighted grid cells.
[[Page 40835]]
D. Sample Size Calculation and Allocation and Sample Selection
The Bureau proposes to decide the number of grid cells that the
provider has to test (that is, the sample size, n), based on a set of
statistical and logistical assumptions. The statistical assumption is
that the variance of the desired estimate of average population served
cannot exceed a specified value, V. The logistical assumption is that
the cost of drive testing is constant in every grid cell selected in
the sample. Under these assumptions, a theoretical value for the sample
size can be calculated as detailed below.
Let L denote the number of strata in the frame and let the index h
distinguish these L strata. Further, denote or define the following
quantities:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.003
Guided by the allocation scheme from the previous section, staff
proposes to use geographic information systems (GIS) tools to randomly
select grid cells in each stratum, including options within these tools
that ensure geographic dispersion for selected grid cells within a
stratum. The provider subject to testing would then be notified of the
sample grid cells in which it would be required to conduct on-the-
ground speed tests.
E. Drive Testing Data Collection
We propose that, within each selected grid cell, a carrier would
conduct a minimum of 20 tests, no less than 50% of which are to be
conducted while in-motion from a vehicle. This is the minimum number of
tests to support the use of the binomial distribution to approximate
the normal distribution that is needed in calculating the gap in
coverage based on a one-sided 90% confidence interval, as discussed
later in Section VII.
To be considered valid, each test should be conducted between the
hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10 p.m., within the selected grid cell, and
report all relevant parameters defined in Appendix A. Each component of
a test (i.e., download and upload speeds) should have a duration
between 5 and 30 seconds. Mobile tests are considered to be located
within the grid cell containing the starting location, as a tester has
full control over the starting location of a test but may not always be
able to control the ending location of a test.
[[Page 40836]]
Testers should, however, attempt to conduct a mobile test within a
single grid cell as much as is reasonably and safely possible. A mobile
test should initiate when moving away from the location of a stationary
test after having reached the speed of the surrounding traffic, or a
safe and reasonable operating speed in the event no traffic is present.
F. Statistical Analysis of Testing Results
Upon receipt of drive testing submissions, the Bureau will perform
a statistical analysis of the data to estimate the desired total
population covered. Because the sample is selected using stratified
random sampling, estimation techniques appropriate for this particular
sampling method must be used.
Stratified random sampling requires an aggregate measurement from a
sampled grid cell that will be combined with measurements from the
other sampled grid cells to calculate stratum-level estimates of total
covered population. These estimates will, in turn, be combined to
produce an overall estimate of covered population. Drive tests
conducted in a sample grid cell will be aggregated based on the
following rule:
Let p be the percentage of drive tests that meet or exceed the
applicable minimum.\2\ If p is at least 85%, then the full population
of the sample grid cell will be deemed as covered; otherwise, 0% will
be deemed as covered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ For 2G tests, the applicable minimum speeds would be 22.8
kbps for both download and upload tests, as this is the minimum
equivalent data rate for voice service, accounting for the voice
codec rate and channel coding rate requirements. See ETSI, CODECs,
https://www.etsi.org/technologies/codecs (last visited July 14,
2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To calculate the stratum-level estimates and the overall estimate
of the covered population, the Bureau proposes to use the estimation
method appropriate for stratified random sampling, described next.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.004
To more accurately reflect coverage at the time of deployment and
to fulfill the Alaska Plan's requirement to evaluate a provider's
commitments based on December 2021 Form 477 coverage data, we propose
to adjust the covered population of the sample frames Nh relative to
covered population according to the December 2020 Form 477 data. For
frames where coverage would be reduced, we would proportionally reduce
population, and, for where coverage would increase, we would
proportionally increase population.
Finally, the overall covered population total, X, is estimated as
X = Nx.
G. Adjudication of the Outcome of the Testing Process
Because the estimate of the total covered population X comes from a
sample, direct comparison of X against the committed covered population
is not appropriate. Instead, staff proposes to construct a confidence
interval that takes into account the variability arising from the
estimate X, and use this confidence interval to adjudicate the outcome
of the testing process.
Because the Alaska Plan calls for a tiered approach in levying
penalties for providers failing the testing process, the Bureau
proposes to use a one-sided 90% confidence interval for X to quantify
the gap in coverage. In particular, the Bureau proposes to use the
upper limit of this confidence interval, which is calculated as
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.005
[[Page 40837]]
The gap in coverage is then calculated as:
Gap in Coverage = Total Population Coverage Commitment -
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN29JY21.006
If the gap in coverage is no more than 5% of the total population
of a given commitment, no penalties will apply. Otherwise, penalties
will apply according to the tiers adopted by the Commission.
Additionally, it is possible to have a negative gap in coverage if
the upper limit of the confidence interval is greater than the total
committed population. If a provider has committed to multiple tiers of
technology (i.e., 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE), then any excess coverage, as
defined by a negative gap in coverage, can be applied to the next
lowest tier of technology. For example, if a provider has committed to
cover 25,000 people with 4G LTE and the upper limit of the confidence
interval shows adequate coverage for 30,000 people, then the remaining
5,000 coverage can be applied to its 3G commitment. This process is
iterative, so any further excess coverage can be applied to its 2G
commitment. Accordingly, the formula above would be re-written as:
Gap in Coverage = Total Population Coverage Commitment-( X +
1.28N[radic]V(x) + Excess Coverage from Higher Technology)
9This methodology therefore will not punish carriers for improving
coverage beyond what they committed.
IV. Procedural Matters
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Certification. As required by the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Commission certifies that the proposals
in this Public Notice, if adopted, will not have a significant impact
on a substantial number of small entities. This Public Notice seeks
comment on the drive testing proposals required by the Alaska Plan for
those wireless participants receiving more than $5 million in annual
Alaska Plan support, excluding the smaller wireless participants that
receive less than that in annual support. The proposals, if adopted,
would apply to only two entities, one of which does not qualify as a
small entity.
Ex Parte Presentations. This proceeding shall be treated as a
``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the Commission's
ex parte rules. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy
of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral
presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a
different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons
making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda
summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or
otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte
presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and
arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted
in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already
reflected in the presenter's written comments, memoranda or other
filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such
data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other
filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where
such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the
memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex
parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must
be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by
rule 1.49(f) or for which the Commission has made available a method of
electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda
summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto,
must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available
for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g.,
.doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants in this proceeding
should familiarize themselves with the Commission's ex parte rules.
Legal Basis. The Bureau is authorized to propose the drive test
parameters and model pursuant to the authority delegated in the Alaska
Plan Order, 31 FCC Rcd 10139, 10160, 10166, paras. 67, 85 (2016) and 47
CFR 54.317, 54.320-54.321.
Federal Communications Commission.
Amy Brett,
Acting Chief of Staff, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2021-16125 Filed 7-27-21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
