FCC Announces November 6 Meeting of Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the next public meeting of its Precision Agriculture Connectivity Task Force, scheduled for November 6, 2023.

Public Comment may be submitted to the Task Force electronically prior to the meeting in the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System, ECFS, at www.fcc.gov/ecfs.

As mentioned in our prior alert, the purpose of the FCC’s Task Force is to provide advice and recommendations on accelerating the deployment of broadband internet access service on unserved agricultural land to promote precision agriculture. The Task Force is supported by four working groups:

• Mapping and Analyzing Connectivity on Agricultural Lands Working Group
• Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture Working Group
• Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs on Connected Farms Working Group
• Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands Working Group

These efforts support the FCC's focus on "precision agriculture" technologies and issues, as the agency has committed at least $1 billion to target the deployment of technologically innovative 5G networks that facilitate precision agriculture. These funds will be available in "Phase II" of the FCC's 5G Fund, which aims to bring 5G wireless broadband connectivity to rural America. 

While the FCC’s lapsed auction authority has not yet been reinstated by Congress, these efforts are continuing at the FCC to ensure that the connectivity needs for Precision Agriculture are well-defined once the auction process can commence.

The Task Force public meeting will be held Monday, November 6, beginning at 10:00 AM EDT. The meeting will include voting on reports and recommendations discussed during the Task Force’s term.

The meeting will be:

• Held in person, in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters, 45 L Street, NE, Washington, DC. The FCC will accommodate as many live attendees as possible; however, admittance will be limited due to seating availability.
• Also open to the public via live feed from the FCC’s web page.