The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a $46.9 million fine against Verizon for violating FCC data rules. Judges heard the case in April and appeared skeptical of claims that Verizon had the right to a jury trial before the FCC handed down the fine (see 2504290060).
FCC commissioners are expected to take up an item next month that will reopen the agency’s prison-calling rules, approved last summer (see 2407180039), it said in a filing Sunday at the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court is considering the order's legality and in July declined to hold the case in abeyance (see 2507160027).
The FCC will vote at its Sept. 30 open meeting on an NPRM that would kick off its 2022 quadrennial review of broadcast ownership rules, Chairman Brendan Carr said Monday in a blog post. Commissioners will also consider the NPRM looking at allowing correctional facilities to jam cellphone signals, which Carr unveiled Friday at a news conference in Arkansas (see 2509050055).
In a move that could shape the non-terrestrial network (NTN) market, EchoStar announced an agreement Monday to sell SpaceX its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum for about $17 billion, equally divided between cash and stock. The companies also agreed to enable EchoStar's Boost Mobile subscribers to access Starlink’s direct-to-cell service, and SpaceX will underwrite $2 billion in interest payments payable on EchoStar debt through November 2027. Industry officials acknowledged there are numerous unanswered questions about the deal and how it will be viewed by the FCC.
T-Mobile had zero interest in the 3.45 GHz spectrum AT&T is buying from EchoStar as part of a $23 billion deal (see 2508260005), T-Mobile executives told attendees at financial conferences Thursday, echoing the sentiments of Verizon (see 2509030027). AT&T plans to quickly deploy the spectrum (see 2509050024).
AT&T will be able to deploy the 3.45 GHz spectrum that it plans to buy from EchoStar almost immediately after regulators clear the purchase, said Jenifer Robertson, AT&T's general manager of mass markets, at a Citi financial conference Thursday. AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches said at a Bank of America conference that the company was immediately interested in the spectrum when it became clear that EchoStar might sell some of its large portfolio.
The FCC will take up proposed rules at its Sept. 30 meeting that would lift federal rules prohibiting correctional officials from jamming signals from contraband cellphones, Chairman Brendan Carr said Friday. Carr announced during a press conference streamed from Arkansas that commissioners would be asked to vote on an NPRM. He said he hopes new rules will be in place next year or “as early as possible.”
The wireless industry’s need for spectrum for full-power, licensed use will be reduced by the 800 MHz “pipeline” in the reconciliation package approved by Congress this summer, CTIA President Ajit Pai said Thursday, but eventually the industry will need more. He also called on the FCC to take another look at how the 6 GHz band is allocated.
Verizon wasn’t interested in the spectrum that AT&T is buying from EchoStar, Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said at a Bank of America financial conference Wednesday. Verizon is very happy with its spectrum position, he said. AT&T announced last week an agreement to buy EchoStar spectrum for $23 billion (see 2508260005).
While 5G network slicing has gotten the most attention, it hasn’t proved to be successful in most cases, and fiber slicing may have more promise, said Nick Saporito, executive director at GFiber Labs, during a Fiber Broadband Association webinar Wednesday. Also at the event, FBA CEO Gary Bolton said early indications show that fiber will play an important role in the restructured BEAD program.