FCC Democrats Say Agency Should Do More to Confront Coronavirus

The FCC’s Democratic commissioners are calling on the agency to take emergency steps to bolster the nation’s communications networks as the new coronavirus drives more people online to work and study.

“The FCC and communications networks have an integral role to play in responding to the coronavirus,” Commissioner Geoffrey Starks told a Senate panel Tuesday at a hearing on the commission’s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal.

Starks offered several proposals, including “expediting waivers and approving experimental licenses” to expand the capacity of communications networks. He also called for boosting Wi-Fi capacity by temporarily allowing use on the 5.9 GHz band, ...