Federal Communications Commission DA 19-1187 DA 19-1187 Released: November 19, 2019 FCC ANNOUNCES THE MEMBERSHIP OF AND FIRST MEETING OF THE TASK FORCE FOR REVIEWING THE CONNECTIVITY AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES GN Docket No. 19-329 This Public Notice serves as notice that, consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2 (FACA). and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-334, 132 Stat. 4490 (2018 Farm Bill). Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, in consultation with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, has appointed members to serve on the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force or Task Force). The Task Force will hold its first meeting on Monday, December 9, 2019, beginning at 9:30 am, in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters, located at 445 12th Street, SW, Room TW-C305, Washington, DC 20554. Notice of this meeting is in today’s Federal Register. Federal Communications Commission, Meeting of the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States, 84 Fed. Reg. 63878 (Nov. 19, 2019). Chairman Pai has designated Teddy Bekele, Land O’Lakes Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, to serve as Chair of the Task Force, and Catherine Moyer, Pioneer Communications Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. to serve as Vice Chair. A full list of Task Force members appointed by the Chairman in consultation with the Secretary is attached to this Public Notice. In addition, the Chairman, in consultation with the Secretary, has identified four working groups that will assist the Task Force in carrying out its work: (1) Mapping and Analyzing Connectivity on Agricultural Lands; (2) Examining Current and Future Connectivity Demand for Precision Agriculture; (3) Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs on Connected Farms; (4) Accelerating Broadband Deployment on Unserved Agricultural Lands. For more information on the working groups, see FCC Announces and Solicits Nominations for Working Groups of the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States, GN Docket No. 19-329, Public Notice, DA 19-1188 (Nov. 19, 2019). The primary agenda of the Task Force’s first meeting will be to introduce members of the Task Force, describe the focus of each working group, review the 2018 Farm Bill and existing FCC and U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and policies relevant to the Task Force’s duties, and begin discussing strategies to advance broadband deployment on agricultural land and promote precision agriculture. This agenda may be modified at the discretion of the Task Force Chair and the Designated Federal Officer. The Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force meeting is open to the public. The FCC will accommodate as many attendees as possible; however, admittance will be limited to seating availability. The Commission will also provide audio and/or video coverage of the meeting over the Internet from the FCC’s web page at www.fcc.gov/live. Open captioning will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed. In addition, please include a way for the FCC to contact the requester if more information is needed to fill the request. Please allow at least five days’ advance notice for accommodation requests; last minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to accommodate. Members of the public may submit comments to the Task Force in the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System, ECFS, at www.fcc.gov/ecfs. Comments to the Task Force should be filed in GN Docket No. 19-329. Pursuant to the FACA, the Commission is responsible for oversight of the Task Force, including its subcommittees and working groups. See 5 U.S.C. App. 2. As a result, FCC staff or Commissioners may participate in or attend meetings or other activities held by both the Task Force and its subcommittees and working groups. In light of this, we are announcing that, pursuant to section 1.1200(a) of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 1.1200(a), presentations to the Task Force, including to its subcommittees and working groups, and at any roundtable discussions sponsored by the Task Force, as well as presentations between Task Force members (including members of any subcommittees or working groups) and FCC staff or Commissioners incidental to and in connection with such Task Force meetings or roundtable discussions, will be treated as exempt presentations for ex parte purposes. This exemption covers presentations from Task Force members to FCC staff and Commissioners in other settings only to the extent that the Task Force members are presenting the views of the Task Force or its working groups, as opposed to an individual member’s own views or that of a member’s organization. We find that this modification of the ex parte rules is in the public interest because it will allow the Task Force to develop and shape its advice and recommendations to the Commission more efficiently and effectively. We recognize that some issues may be addressed by the Task Force that are the subject of pending FCC proceedings. The Commission will not rely in these proceedings on any information submitted to the Task Force, or to any of its subcommittees, working groups, or sponsored roundtables, or information conveyed by Task Force members (including members of any subcommittees or working groups) to FCC staff or Commissioners unless that information is first placed in the record of the relevant proceeding. More information about the Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force is available at https://www.fcc.gov/task-force-reviewing-connectivity-and-technology-needs-precision-agriculture-united-states. You may also contact Jesse Jachman, Designated Federal Officer of the Task Force, at (202) 418-2668, or Jesse.Jachman@fcc.gov; Erin Boone, Deputy Designated Federal Officer, at (202) 418-0736, or Erin.Boone@fcc.gov; or Celia Lewis, Deputy Designated Federal Officer, at (202) 418-7456, or Celia.Lewis@fcc.gov. –FCC– 3 MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE Chair: Teddy Bekele, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Land O’Lakes Vice Chair: Catherine Moyer, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager; Pioneer Communications Members: Michael Adelaine, Ph.D.,Vice President for Technology and Security; South Dakota State University Seth Arndorfer, Chief Executive Officer; Dakota Carrier Network The Honorable Dale Artho, Commissioner; Deaf Smith County, TX Andy Bater, Farmer; Fifth Estate Growers LLC Peter Brent, Operations Manager and IT Director; New Vision Farms Chris Chinn, Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture; Missouri Department of Agriculture Anthony Dillard, Tribal Councilman; Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma David Goldman, Director of Satellite Policy; SpaceX Michael Gomes, Vice President, Business Development – IoT; Topcon Agriculture Daniel T. Leibfried, Director, Advanced Technology, Intelligent Solutions Group; John Deere Mike McCormick, President; Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Jeff Pettit, President and CEO of Noash Construction, Inc.; National Association of Tower Erectors Steve Vail, Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors; NineStar Connect Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, or a designee of the Secretary, will serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the Task Force. Jesse Jachman, Designated Federal Officer Erin Boone, Deputy Designated Federal Officer Celia Lewis, Deputy Designated Federal Officer