It seems likely FCC commissioners will approve 3-2 a draft order and Further NPRM allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services. FCC Republicans are expected to issue dissents. Some advocates hope the item will be tweaked to address fixed wireless access and partnerships with nontraditional providers (see 2406270068). Commissioners will vote at their open meeting Thursday.
The FCC on Tuesday released a draft NPRM that considers consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls and two other items scheduled for a vote at the commissioners' Aug. 7 open meeting (see 2407160064). In addition, it released drafts of an order creating an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered persons and an NPRM on procedural updates to the robocall database.
An FCC proposed handset unlocking NPRM will likely receive unanimous approval at the commissioners' open meeting Thursday, probably with minimum tweaks, lawyers and others in the proceeding told us. Currently, among the national carriers, only Verizon is subject to broad unlocking requirements, though T-Mobile faces some owing to its Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile acquisition. The notice proposes all mobile providers unlock a consumer’s handset 60 days after it's activated.
FCC commissioners will vote at their Aug. 7 open meeting on an NPRM that delves more deeply into consumer protections against AI-generated robocalls, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Tuesday. In addition, commissioners will vote on an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered persons and procedural updates to the robocall database. Commissioners will also vote on an adjudicatory matter from the Media Bureau and an Enforcement Bureau item.
CTA and other industry groups urged that the FCC look closely at concerns raised in initial comments about rules for implementing multilingual wireless emergency alerts (see 2406140051). Meanwhile, some state attorneys general oppose industry efforts at slowing the move to require multilingual alerts. Replies were posted through Monday in dockets 15-91 and 15-94 in response to a notice from the FCC Public Safety Bureau (see 2405130047). The notice proposed a 30-month deadline for implementing templates in English and 13 other languages, plus American Sign Language.
The FCC said Friday it launched an investigation after AT&T revealed that a bad actor breached its network in April and accessed call and text records for nearly all its wireless customers from mid-2022 and for a single day in January 2023. The breach included calling data from customers of mobile virtual network operators using AT&T’s network. In an SEC filing, AT&T said that a suspect was apprehended.
Donald Trump recently has distanced himself from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 manifesto (see 2407050015), but its authors are his close policy advisors. Accordingly, his election would likely mean chaos for the federal bureaucracy, including agencies like the FCC, FTC and the NTIA, experts said. As many as 50,000 federal employees could lose their jobs if a Trump administration cleans house, experts told us. Project 2025 includes a chapter on the FCC that Commissioner Brendan Carr wrote. Carr is considered the favorite to become FCC chair if Trump wins (see 2407120002).
Skylo Technologies sees a substantial market for satellite-connected IoT devices, Tarun Gupta, Skylo co-founder and chief product officer, said Thursday. Adding satellite coverage to terrestrial service “will really remove the borders of connectivity” and mean no one should worry “do I have coverage here or not?” Gupta said during a Mobile World Live webinar on non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). Other speakers said use cases for NTN are already emerging.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project should launch standards for fixed wireless access, a T-Mobile executive said Wednesday during a Mobile World Live webinar on 5G-advanced, which is the next step in 5G evolution. Egil Gronstad, T-Mobile senior director-technology development and strategy, said he’s disappointed with 3GPP and industry. “We haven’t really done anything in the 3GPP specs to specifically address” fixed wireless.
Open network architecture is a flourishing trend beyond 5G and open radio access networks, speakers said Wednesday during a Broadband Breakfast webinar. The wholesale model has worked for the middle mile and in wireless, Incompas President Angie Kronenberg said: “It’s exciting to see the discussion now happening about last-mile connectivity and fiber.”