The Trump administration Thursday finalized a rule that will mean fewer protections for up to 50,000 federal workers. That could have significant implications for the FCC, the NTIA, the FTC and other federal agencies involved with communications policy, but the net effect may not be known for months, experts said Friday. The White House must still identify which employees fall under the new Schedule PC. The final rule is also expected to face a slew of legal challenges from federal employee unions and others.

Holding the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in Shanghai (see 2512010044) poses special challenges and the U.S. must make sure its management remains as neutral as possible, said Steve Lang, U.S. ambassador to the last WRC in 2024. Lang also said China likely pushed to hold the conference because officials there were concerned about growing U.S. influence at the ITU. Lang spoke on a Technology Policy Institute podcast posted late Thursday.

Industry commenters advised the FCC against handing down more regulation in response to a Further NPRM seeking comment on tougher caller ID rules (see 2601070012). Numerous comments called the state of the call-branding market “nascent.” Reply comments were due last week in docket 17-59 on the FNPRM, which commissioners approved in October (see 2510280024).

Wireless and satellite interests are reinforcing their arguments on whether a spectrum slice in the 28.35-28.6 GHz band needs to remain a guard band protecting upper microwave flexible-use service (UMFUS) networks from adjacent-band earth stations in motion (ESIM). Docket 17-95 comments last week saw those interests largely buttress claims made last month as the FCC seeks comments about communications with ESIMs in the 28.35-28.6 GHz band (see 2601220027). In comments posted Friday, wireless interests also pushed back on SpaceX calls for the FCC to green-light ESIM operations across a wider array of Ku-band frequencies.