Media Contact: Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509 will.wiquist@fcc.gov For Immediate Release FCC PROPOSES OVER $47 MILLION IN FINES FOR FAILING TO MEET EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSED SPECTRUM Ten Non-Local 2.5 GHz Licensees Apparently Sub-Leased the Spectrum Without Also Meeting Educational and Community Engagement Commitments -- WASHINGTON, January 7, 2021—The Federal Communications Commission today proposed fines on 10 entities for apparently failing to provide the educational services required by Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum licenses they hold. The parties also apparently failed to meet their obligations to maintain local program committees to inform the use of their respective licenses in the 2.5 GHz band. Under applicable FCC rules at the time, non-local EBS licensees were required to reserve a minimum of 5% of their capacity for educational use, provide at least 20 hours of educational programing per channel per week, and establish a local program committee in each community where it did not have a local presence. The 10 entities, which now face a combined $47,548,500 in proposed fines, apparently failed to meet these fundamental obligations attached to their licenses. “Our actions underline the Commission’s ongoing expectation that all FCC licensees must meet their commitments to the American public,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold. “These parties apparently profited from their licenses without also providing measurable and verifiable support for the educational goals that EBS licenses were designed to serve. Disregard for license obligations is unacceptable.” The premise of the EBS licensing regime was that the opportunity to sub-lease spectrum would help incentivize licensees to continue providing educational services via their remaining capacity. The entities cited today sub-leased the spectrum to their substantial financial benefit but apparently failed to meet their obligation to support the education of students in their communities of license. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau began an investigation into the apparent misuse of this spectrum following FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s inquiries to the entities about their activities. The FCC recently transformed the 2.5 GHz band in which EBS licensees operated to make all of this vital mid-band spectrum available for advanced wireless services, including 5G. For the 50 years prior to this change, the FCC consistently required EBS licensees to meet educational obligations. The parties facing proposed fines today—all of whom obtained their EBS licenses before the recent rule change—apparently failed to meet the obligations while they still were in effect. Enforcement of FCC rules in such circumstances is important nonetheless to ensure that licensees take their responsibilities seriously. The proposed fines issued today by a vote of the Commission are listed below with links to the respective documents. The proposed forfeiture amounts were based on the number of apparent violations and the number of days those apparent violations took place for each license held by a licensee. · Clarendon Foundation, Inc. – $3,346,000 (NAL) · Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network – $14,013,000 (NAL) · National Conference on Citizenship – $1,590,000 (NAL) · North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation – $8,268,000 (NAL) · Northern Arizona University Foundation – $5,485,000 (NAL) · Rockne Educational Television, Inc. and The Learning Paradigm, Inc. – $3,975,000 (NAL) · Shekinah Network – $6,377,500 (NAL) · Views on Learning, Inc. – $2,745,000 (NAL) · Voqal USA – $1,749,000 (NAL) The proposed actions, formally called Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, or NAL, contain only allegations that advise parties on how they have apparently violated the law and may set forth a proposed monetary penalty. The Commission may not impose a greater monetary penalty in these cases than the amount proposed in the NALs. Neither the allegations nor the proposed sanctions contained in the NALs are final Commission actions. The parties will be given an opportunity to respond and the Commission will consider the parties’ submissions of evidence and legal arguments before acting further to resolve the matter. ### Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).