Federal Communications Commission Research Articles

Energy Efficient 100+ GHz Transceivers Enabling Beyond-5G Wireless Communications

Portable computing devices handling multi gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) data rates are anticipated to enter the wireless market with the rise of the 5G protocol in the future. The recent allocation of the above-100-GHz band by the Federal Communications Commission creates a great opportunity for developing wireless networks with distributed base station nodes targeting high data rates. This ever-in-creasing need for higher data rates calls for novel transceiver architectures that address fundamental shortcomings of the conventional designs and can achieve tens of Gb/s speed with high spectral efficiency. This article presents an overview of design challenges and opportunities in regard to implementation of energy efficient 100+ GHz wireless transceivers and opportunities for research and development in this emerging area.

A dielectric resonator based line stripe miniaturized ultra‐wideband antenna for fifth‐generation applications

SummaryThis work presents an original dielectric resonator based line stripe miniature ultra‐wideband (UWB) antenna for 5G applications. The length, width, and height of the designed antenna are 23, 15, and 1.605 mm, respectively. The projected antenna prototype is composed of a simple line structure‐based modified scattered patch and a rectangular ground plane consisting of a saw tooth orientation in the upper end. A number of rectangular resonators are placed on both sides of the patch and ground to optimize the desired results. This technique ensures the lower operating band and made a significant improvement of efficiency without compromising the antenna size. The proposed design obtained the range of frequency bandwidth from 3.55 to 4.2 GHz under the −10‐dB scale, which covers the lower fifth‐generation (5G) communication band offered by Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The moderate gain and more than 80% radiation efficiency at a resonant point with strong fidelity factor confirms the usability and lower signal distortion of the antenna. The design offers an omnidirectional radiation pattern with 90° elevated directivity for cross polarization. This proposed design is compact in size and can be integrated into limited space around microwave circuitry with low manufacturing cost. The performance parameters like operating bandwidth, antenna size, and area of application, dielectric constant, fractional bandwidth, and omnidirectional radiation pattern were proposed as a suitable candidate for 5G application.

Optimization of Citizen Broadband Radio Service Frequency Allocation for Dynamic Spectrum Access System

With the increase in mobile broadband utilization, more spectrum release is recommended by the Federal Communications Commission for spectrum sharing under a three-tire system called Citizens Broadband Radio Service. The standardization, functional and operational necessities of this framework are defined by the Wireless Innovation Forum. If an unavoidable shipborne radar appears on the channel, the channel must be vacated by the lower tier users. The timing constraints on CBRS is also stringent. Wireless stations transmit short beacon frames termed as heartbeat signals. These signals consist of the wireless channel encryption data, Service Set Identifier (SSID) and other credential data. These signals also transmit commands to vacate a channel. The heartbeat interval, timing constraint and domain proxy features are analyzed in this paper. CBSD renunciation and spectrum acquisition is performed with the help of domain proxy based communication. The CBRS-SAS channel allocation algorithm is further investigated. The communication interoperability and network robustness can improved with the introduction of secondary SAS and secondary domain proxy respectively.

An Optimized IR-UWB Communication System with Interference Reduction on a Narrowband System Using Genetic Algorithm

This paper proposed a new impulse radio ultra wideband (IR-UWB) signal to reduce interference on narrowband systems at high usage 5.2 GHz frequency. The combination of 4th and 5th order derivatives of Gaussian pulses were employed to generate the signal so that satisfy the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mask. The genetic algorithm technique was used to find the pulse optimized parameters. In this paper, spectrum was optimized by changing the shape factor (sigma) and amplitude of Gaussian pulses so that the transmitted power spectrum density was minimized at a frequency of 5.2 GHz and maximized at the other frequencies from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz according to the FCC mask. The signal was applied in an IR-UWB transceiver system with binary-phase shift keying modulation. The IR-UWB waveform is generated by a programmable digital to analog based circuit. The proposed system was compared with conventional IR-UWB systems at the same condition. The simulation results in multipath channel showed that the proposed system not only reduced interference with the narrowband system, but also this was robust against narrowband interference at 5.2 GHz frequency.

Anonymous Dynamic Spectrum Access and Sharing Mechanisms for the CBRS Band

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released the 3.5 GHz (3550-3700 MHz) band, termed Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), for shared broadband use between incumbent federal and secondary users through dynamic and opportunistic spectrum access. FCC requires that this band be operated and managed through the use of spectrum access systems ( $\mathit {SAS}$ s), which are to be deployed specifically for this purpose. The challenge is that $\mathit {SAS}$ requires that secondary users provide some of their private operational data, such as their physical location, identity and spectrum usage, in order for them to acquire spectrum availability information. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving $\mathit {SAS}$ framework, $\mathit {TrustSAS}$ , that synergizes state-of-the-art cryptographic mechanisms with blockchain technology to enable anonymous access to $\mathit {SAS}$ by protecting users’ privacy while still complying with FCC’s regulatory design requirements and rules. We evaluate the performance of $\mathit {TrustSAS}$ through theoretic analysis, computer simulation and testbed experimentation, and show that it can offer high security guarantees, making it suitable for $\mathit {SAS}$ environments without needing to compromise private information of its secondary users.

Fake News, Personal Attacks, and Ideological Media Run Amok – It is Time for Fairness Doctrine 2.0

From 1949 to 1987, a regulation known as the “Fairness Doctrine” required radio and television stations to offer response time to those attacked by a broadcast editorial or commentary and required radio and television stations to offer differing views of issues of public concern. The Supreme Court upheld this rule against a First Amendment challenge, noting that the unique aspects of broadcasters justified this requirement. Ultimately, the rule was rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission on the ground that it was no longer needed because the growth of broadcasters rendered it outdated. The FCC determination also questioned its constitutionality. In more recent years, the expansion and influence of talk radio and cable news commentators coupled with the election of Donald Trump as president created a more toxic political environment with certain commentators employing distortions and even lies in their broadcasts and cablecasts. This paper advocates a return of the Fairness Doctrine, crafted to include cable television and streamed broadcasts deriving from cable as an effective way to allow opposing viewpoints for audiences that are effectively limited from access to those views because of the of ideological bent of the radio stations and cable services they watch. The article will demonstrate that a resurrection of the Fairness Doctrine is important for the future of the electorate and would be constitutionally valid.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Notice and Consent Requirements under the GDPR, the CCPA/CPRA, and the FCC Broadband Privacy Order

We compare the notice and consent requirements of the three recent privacy regulations that are most likely to serve as the starting points for the creation of a comprehensive consumer privacy bill in the United States: the European General Data Protection Regulation, the California Consumer Privacy Act / California Privacy Rights Act, and the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Privacy Order. We compare the scope of personal information under each regulation, including the test for identifiability and exclusions for de-identified information, and identify problems with their treatment of de-identified information and of pseudonymous information. We compare notice requirements, including the level of required detail and the resulting ability of consumers to understand the use and flow of their personal information, and identify deficiencies with consumers’ ability to track the flow of their personal information. Finally, we compare consumer choices under each regulation, including when a consumer must agree to the use of their personal information in order to utilize a service or application, and find that none of the regulations take full advantage of the range of options, and thereby fail to disincentive tracking.

Interruption of a Presidential Press Conference by Some Television Broadcast Stations: Censorship or a Valid Innovative Measure to Combat Fake News?

AbstractCensorship normally refers to the Government's actions to ban different forms of freedom of speech (i.e. suppression of words or images). However, cries of censorship were heard as a result of the decision taken by television broadcast networks to interrupt the transmission of a Presidential press conference in November 2020. Some interpreted this act as censorship against public authorities. Others thought it was a legal (and necessary) measure to combat fake news. This article addresses whether the decision to limit a televised broadcast by President Trump was censorship or, alternatively, whether it was a valid, innovative measure to fight fake news. To tackle these issues, it is necessary that some of the related duties and rights television broadcast stations have before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), governmental authority in charge of these matters, must be revised.

EFFECTS OF TIMING JITTER IN TH-BPSK UWB SYSTEMS APPLYING THE FCC-CONSTRAINT PULSES UNDER NAKAGAMI-M FADING CHANNEL

Ultra wideband (UWB) technology has obtained lots of attention as a strong candidate for short range indoor wireless communication because of low power consumption, low cost implementation and the robustness against multipath fading. It uses trains of short pulses which widely spread the signal energy in frequency domain. Since such large bandwidth can cause interference with other narrow band communication systems, the federal communications commission (FCC) has restricted not only the frequency region from 3.1GHz to 10.6GHz but also the transmission power level for commercial use of UWB systems. The effects of timing jitter on time hopping binary phase shift keying (TH-BPSK) UWB systems applying the FCC-constraint pulses are investigated under flat Nakagami-mfading channel and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The numerical results show that two FCC-constraint pulses, PSP and MMNHP, have almost same sensitivity to the timing jitter even though they have different transceiver complexity. Additionally, the additional required power due to the timing jitter exponentially increases, but that due to the amplitude fading is not exceeded over 4dB.

The Novice Administrative State: The Function of Regulatory Commissions in the Progressive Era

Researchers have long argued that politicians created the modern administrative state in order to bring “experts” into government, and especially into the regulation of business. Yet Progressive-Era politicians themselves rarely discussed the need for experts in creating one form of administrative governance, the independent regulatory commission. By examining the contemporary understanding of regulatory commissions, this article shows that they were intended to act as fact-finding bodies for courts and to substitute for vacillating juries in particular cases. The commission’s most important advantage was that it acquired “experience” over time not that its appointees were already academics or experts in a particular field. This article also shows that the appointments to these commissions did not demonstrate a desire for apolitical expertise. It makes the first examination of all members appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Power Commission, Federal Communication Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission in the period from 1887 to 1935. It finds that political and sectional balance, rather than independent expertise, were the most important criteria for these commissions’ members, at least until the late 1920s, after the end of the supposed Progressive Era.

Effects of Market Structure on Broadband Quality in Local U.S. Residential Service Markets

This paper investigates the effects of changes in market structure on residential service quality in local U.S. broadband markets. Our analysis focuses on identifying causal effects on quality from entry (or exit) by firms using both legacy and non-legacy broadband network technologies. We analyze a very large and highly disaggregated census block-level data set we have constructed using Federal Communication Commission (FCC) data on residential broadband services deployment in populated U.S. census blocks between December 2014 and December 2018. We employ a difference-in-differences framework combined with both spatial fixed effects and spatial instrumental variables. The latter econometric tools are used to address unobserved market heterogeneity and concerns about significant error in measured ISP counts for fixed wireless ISPs. Our results suggest that entry by legacy technology (cable and DSL) service providers has large impacts on available service quality in local broadband markets, effects which diminish rapidly with continued entry. Contrary to expectations, entry by a single new fiber ISP seems to have no impact on available quality; entry by two fiber ISPs, by contrast, raises maximum available quality by a modest but statistically significant 90 Mbps. Entry by a fixed wireless ISP appears to have had a large, negative impact on maximum available download speeds offered by incumbent legacy ISPs. Economic explanations for these results are discussed and evaluated. We establish that (i) both fixed wireless and fiber ISPs compete in sets of speed tiers that are distinct from those offered by legacy ISPs, and speculate that (ii) price competition (as opposed to quality competition) may be more intense in markets with fixed wireless entry.

Design and Simulation-Based Parametric Studies of a Compact Ultra-Wide Band Antenna for Wireless Capsule Endoscopy System at Inside Body Environment

This paper focuses to design a compact (110mm³) Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) (3.1GHz to 10.6GHz) antenna, which covers almost the whole 10dB impedance matching bandwidth of the UWB range. Two of the main specialties of this article over other related articles are its antenna’s wider bandwidth (approx. 7.3GHz) and antenna’s simulation environment. No other papers consider such a realistic model to simulate their antenna, before. Due to its wider bandwidth, this antenna can be employed in the Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) system, which mainly requires a high-speed real-time data transfer-capable antenna. The antenna was examined inside simplified human Gastrointestinal (GI) tract phantoms (Colon, Esophagus, Small Intestine and Stomach) as well as the human Voxel GI tract model by maintaining proper tissue properties for the sake of accurate parametric results. Biocompatible material polyimide was used to construct the capsule wall to fulfill the system’s biocompatibility. In the result analysis part, the proposed antenna’s SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) or electromagnetic energy amount, consumed by near-side body tissue was considered and found in the acceptable region, according to Federal Communication Commission (FCC)’s regulation. Also, other crucial antenna parameters such as VSWR, reflection coefficient, radiation characteristics, efficiencies, directivity and surface current density were adoptable compare to other related articles. The Finite Integration Technique (FIT) of CST Microwave Studio Suite 2020 was used to investigate the antenna parameters.

Health Risks Associated With 5G Exposure: A View From the Communications Engineering Perspective

The deployment of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication services requires the installation of 5G next-generation Node-B Base Stations (gNBs) over the territory and the wide adoption of 5G User Equipment (UE). In this context, the population is concerned about the potential health risks associated with the Radio Frequency (RF) emissions from 5G equipment, with several communities actively working toward stopping the 5G deployment. To face these concerns, in this work, we analyze the health risks associated with 5G exposure by adopting a new and comprehensive viewpoint, based on the communications engineering perspective. By exploiting our background, we investigate the alleged health effects of 5G exposure and critically review the latest works that are often referenced to support the health concerns from 5G. We then precisely examine the up-to-date metrics, regulations, and assessment of compliance procedures for 5G exposure, by evaluating the latest guidelines from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as well as the national regulations in more than 220 countries. We also thoroughly analyze the main health risks that are frequently associated with specific 5G features (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), beamforming, cell densification, adoption of millimeter waves, and connection of millions of devices). Finally, we examine the risk mitigation techniques based on communications engineering that can be implemented to reduce the exposure from 5G gNB and UE. Overall, we argue that the widely perceived health risks that are attributed to 5G are not supported by scientific evidence from communications engineering. In addition, we explain how the solutions to minimize the health risks from 5G (including currently unknown effects) are already mature and ready to be implemented. Finally, future works, e.g., aimed at evaluating long-term impacts of 5G exposure, as well as innovative solutions to further reduce the RF emissions, are suggested.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer Using Microstrip Patch Antenna

This paper presents the early detection of breast cancer as it detects the presence of tumor in the breast tissue using a Rectangular Patch Microstrip Antenna(RMSA) operating at 2.45 GHz. To enhance the impedance matching insect feed is used. To maintain the specific absorption rate(SAR) within permissible range, a slot is introduced in ground plane. The antenna is designed using FR4epoxy material. For the early detection of breast tumor parameters such as Voltage Standing Wave Ratio(VSWR), return loss(RL), Bandwidth has been observed. SAR has been taken under consideration while stimulating the antenna on breast phantom with and without tumor using High Frequency Simulation Software (HFSS). Resonating frequency of antenna is 2.45 GHz and VSWR≤2 bandwidth is 40 MHz that means bandwidth is approximately 1.63%. According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US has set an SAR level of 1.6 W/Kg an same measurement is allowed in India. Antenna designed in this paper has SAR value of 1.2 W/Kg without tumor and 1.4 W/Kg with tumor which is in the permissible range. Due to permissible range of SAR value and sufficient bandwidth proposed RMSA is used to detect tumor in breast at early stage.

How Analytics Allowed the FCC to Save $7.3 Billion by Auctioning Underused Television Spectrum

Using an auction informed by analytics, the US Federal Communications Commission reallocated underutilized portions of the television spectrum. The revenue from this auction exceeded its cost by $7.3 billion, which went toward US deficit reduction. Subodha Kumar summarizes the Kiddoo et al. report on this groundbreaking work which won the 2018 INFORMS Franz Edelman Competition.

A Program Evaluation of State Based Grant Programs

Thirty states maintain broadband grant and loan programs as of 2020, some of which date to the mid-aughts. Much like their federal counterparts, there is limited research detailing the impacts of state broadband subsidy programs. To help bridge this gap in the literature, this paper tackles two chronically understudied areas, both of which are relevant for state and federal policymakers. First, have state-based grant programs had an impact on broadband adoption in a region? And second, have these changes spurred an appreciable economic effect on recipient communities? To answer these questions, we create a novel dataset of the publicly available grant data from state programs and their support levels. This new dataset was then connected with Federal Communications Commission Form 477 data to test the impact of grants on broadband quality. Following this, the state grant broadband database was coupled with the American Community Survey to estimate the impact of these programs on the unemployment rate and labor force participation rate.

Rural Measures: A Quantitative Study of the Rural Digital Divide

Rural areas continue to face digital inequality compared to urban areas. Urban areas have access to a myriad of next generation advanced information communications technology (ICT) whereas rural areas experience disparity of service type, price and reliability. Initially the urban-rural digital divide was one of quantity of subscribers or demand driven digital inclusion , it has now matured to become an issue of quality and capacity of connectivity. However, Silva, Badasyan & Busby found that the more rural a census tract is, the lower the broadband adoption rate. They found, in further testament to the need for increased capacity, that “broadband availability has the strongest impact on the adoption rate in non-metropolitan areas. If the availability were to increase to a 100%....it would increase the adoption rate by 6.12%”. Public policy and regulation has a direct impact upon availability or lack thereof for ICT services in rural areas. Hollifield, Donnermeyer, Wolford & Agunga found that when public policy, in the form of universal service funding in rural high cost areas, failed to support the early implementation of ICT services, communities began investing in self-development projects with limited success. This effort however, doesn’t address the circumstances of the rural household miles from an organized rural community. With the regulatory focus on increasing competition among ICT service providers since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, consumers in urban areas have benefited. In contrast, underserved or unserved rural consumers of ICT often pay a rural penalty in the form of a combination of one or more complicating factors, including; higher prices and lower bandwidth , and less reliability or no service at all. Whitacre & Mills reports several early studies pointed to the need for demand-oriented programs such as computer training, and demonstrations on internet usage, as more important than the development of access infrastructure to promote ICT usage in rural areas. However, as general societal demand for internet access grows from the diffusion of knowledge, infrastructure becomes the limiting factor in the development of rural areas. Lower population density areas are minimally (or un)profitable markets for ICT service providers and some areas may never experience for-profit investment in broadband provisioning due to the lack of a potential subscriber base. During the years of the traditional land-line telephone, high cost rural areas were supported by the federal universal service fund through subsidies paid by all users, rural and urban. This fund, reformulated as the Connect America Fund, was intended to take over this role in the new ICT economy, but has fell short of fulfilling its intended purpose. Additionally concerns exist with the measurement and reporting of the diffusion of broadband infrastructure. All facilities based service providers providing internet connection speeds exceeding 200 kbps must report bandwidth speeds to the Federal Communication Commission through form 477. Reporting of available bandwidth speeds initially occurred by zip code, and then by census tract, followed by a further adjustment to the level of census block, making longitudinal comparisons over multiple years difficult. Since 2014 broadband adoption rates are reported on the basis of a scale from 0 to 5 with 5 meaning over 800 broadband connections per 1,000 households. This is a problematic measurement methodology for low population density areas. Grubesic reports as of the first iteration of the national broadband map, the availability of broadband in the United States is overestimated. Both public policy and available technologies directly affect regional development. Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth has concluded that economic differences between “well-connected” and “poorly connected” areas will continue to grow. Mahasuweerachai, Whitacre, & Shideler concluded that rural counties with both digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable broadband technologies attracted a net positive number of in-migrations as compared to counties without broadband or with only one type of broadband. Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth further concludes that while not instrumental for economic growth in rural areas, digital connectivity is essential to support existing industries. Gallardo and Schmmahorn found that as the number of broadband providers increased, so did non-innovative entrepreneurs and as non-innovative entrepreneurs increased, income inequality decreased. A need exists for the accurate measurement and reporting of consumer available bandwidth to better understand this element of the urban-rural digital divide. The primary question for this research study is, can the rural-urban digital divide be accurately measured? To address this question and to better understand available ICT in a given region, two pilot studies have been performed in households to measure consumer available bandwidth and to ascertain multiple elements of consumer perceptions of their internet access. These pilot projects focused on two themes of digital connectivity issues as outlined by Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth including; policy and regulation, and technologies in rural areas.

What are the US Spectrum Auctions for 5G Teaching Us About Auction Efficiency?

This paper seeks to assess the efficiency of the first 5G spectrum auctions held in the United States. In 2018 and 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) administered auctions 101 and 102 to assign spectrum in the 28 GHz and 24 GHz bands, respectively. Auction 101 sold spectrum on the 28 GHz band for Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service licenses and raised a total of about $700 million. Auction 102 assigned spectrum on the 24 GHz band for Upper Microwave Flexible Use Services. It raised a total of close to $2 billion. In July 2020, the FCC auctioned the 3.5 GHz band for Priority Access Licensees, raising over $4 billion. I implement an assessment of the efficiency of an auction based on its observed bidding data during the clock rounds of the auctions, while relying on revealed preference theory. Data are available at the FCC’s Auctions website. Bidding data are organised by geographical area and for each geographical area, demand point sets for each round, for each bidder. I rely on the application of the well-known Generalised Axiom of Revealed Preference or GARP, and less well-known Homothetic Axiom of Revealed Preference or HARP, to construct two indexes, Afriat Efficiency Index (AEI) and Homothetic Efficiency Index (HEI) to calculate measurements of rational bidding associated with each bidder. The US relied on an auction format, which uses demand revelation but allows the bidders to state the price at which they would demand a number of units of the same item (that is, blocks or licenses). In essence, the auction format for auctions 102 and 105 followed a multiple round format with an ascending clock not entirely driven by the auctioneer, whereby a bid is best described as a stepwise (ascending or descending) demand function revealed on the price range set by the auctioneer for the round. The difficulty in dealing with the data is that the bidding language of these auctions allows a bidder to express its demand for the items being sold in a service area by means of a stepwise function (either ascending or descending). The challenge at this stage is to suitably adapt the data to the usual data set format assumed by GARP or HARP. Using an efficiency approach, I assess each auction at two levels: assessment of efficiency through utility maximisation via AEI and an assessment of efficiency through homotheticity via HEI. Auctioneers, in particular, and spectrum authorities, in general, are concerned with the economic aspects of their spectrum assignment processes. The most important issue that pertains the results of the auction is the answer to the question, was the spectrum assigned to those bidders who can make the best use of it? Answering the question puts us on the grounds of auction efficiency. Devising methods to use the auction bidding data to answer such question has been a long-standing question. GARP and HARP are two revealed preference approaches that do not require us to adopt a parametrized utility function to represent bidder’s preferences. Those methods use the observed data and define a rigorous consistency test on the data.

Novel Low-Cost Integrated Multiband Antenna Design Customized for Smartwatch Applications with SAR Evaluation

This paper presents a novel low-cost integrated multiband antenna design customized for smartwatch applications and wearable devices. The design consists in using a broadband planar patch antenna with circular microstrip lines and a miniaturized feeding-point with a structure of 30 × 30 × 1.6 mm3, and it is easy to deploy inside the smartwatch and cost-effective for the wearable device industry. The parametric study and final dimensions of the design and the measured results of the reflection and radiation pattern are discussed. The antenna with maximum gain up to 6.6 dBi and S11 up to −22 dB exhibits excellent performance for all the frequencies required in wearable systems such as 1.9 GHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz. We drew a comparison between similar research and this work in terms of antenna performance. Furthermore, we investigate the specific absorption rate (SAR) performance of the antenna for the smartwatch application, using both human hand wrist multilayer and SAM head mouth models. The SAR results in different positions for all the frequencies are compared to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) standards.

Social Media Platforms as Public Trustees: An Approach to the Disinformation Problem

This paper explores relevant precedent for disinformation-related regulation in the U.S. media sector; and then considers whether the underlying rationale that justified such regulation is relevant to the social media context. Specifically, this paper considers whether the public trustee governance model that applies to broadcasting in the U.S. might be applicable in the social media context; and whether the type of disinformation-related regulations that have accompanied this public trustee model might therefore be feasible within the social media context as well. The first section of this paper provides an overview of the current legal and policymaking environment, briefly considering the status of disinformation from a First Amendment standpoint, and current policy initiatives that may directly or indirectly impact the degree of disinformation produced, disseminated, and consumed on social media platforms. The second section reviews some little-known media regulations that directly address disinformation – the Federal Communications Commission’s broadcast hoax and news distortion rules. The third section reviews the regulatory rationales upon which these rules are premised. The fourth section considers whether one of these rationales – the idea of broadcasters as trustees of a public resource – should apply to social media platforms, and the implications of thinking about social media platforms as public trustees, for the viability of some form of disinformation-related government intervention. The fifth section offers some thoughts on the appropriate scope and limitations for this public trustee model. The concluding section considers possible next steps for formalizing this public trustee model and its associated public interest obligations.