UScellular parent TDS is “excited” to start a “new chapter” in the company’s history with the sale of spectrum and other wireless assets to T-Mobile for $4.3 billion (see 2508010012), CEO Walter Carlson told analysts Monday. TDS expects the sale of other licenses to AT&T to close this year, while a deal with Verizon should close in 2026, Carlson added.
Carolina West is getting support for a petition from June 2024 seeking a waiver that would permit it to receive supplemental high-cost universal service support. The Competitive Carriers Association urged the FCC to grant a blanket waiver or initiate further proceedings on expanding the availability of support beyond Carolina West. CCA also filed at the FCC a new report by the Brattle Group discussing the unique challenges faced by rural carriers. Comments were due Monday in docket 19-197 and posted Tuesday.
As the FCC moves forward on revised copper retirement and other rule changes (see 2507240048), AT&T is quickly retiring parts of its network, said Jeremy Legg, chief technology officer for AT&T Services, at a KeyBanc financial conference Monday.
Consumers’ Research and its allies objected Friday to the proposed USF contribution factor for Q4, citing unanswered questions from the group’s unsuccessful challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court in late June. The factor is projected to increase from 36% in Q3 to 39.3% in Q4, based on the latest projections from the Universal Service Administrative Co. (see 2508040049).
Items on emergency alerting, business data services (BDS) and satellite licensing saw some changes of note before they were approved by FCC commissioners last week. The items were posted in Monday’s Daily Digest. The next FCC meeting won't be until Sept. 30.
The FCC added numerous questions to its draft notice of inquiry on how the agency examines competition in its Telecom Act Section 706 reports to Congress. The NOI was approved 3-0 ahead of Thursday’s FCC meeting. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement Wednesday that questions were added on broadband affordability at her urging, and she was, as a result, able to vote in favor of it (see 2508060061). The FCC posted the final version Friday.
The decision Friday by public interest groups not to challenge the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ narrow decision overturning last year’s net neutrality order appeared to be based on a number of considerations, including avoiding a precedent that could prevent future FCC rules (see 2508080020). Friday was the deadline to file a petition for certiorari seeking U.S. Supreme Court review. Some lawyers saw the 6th Circuit’s decision as badly reasoned and susceptible to further review (see 2507160048).
The FCC on Thursday approved 3-0 an NPRM examining potential changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which have been a focus of the Trump administration. Commissioner Anna Gomez said she was able to get a few changes in the NPRM, which led to her yes vote.
Public interest groups said Friday they won’t file a petition for certiorari seeking U.S. Supreme Court review of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ narrow decision overturning last year’s net neutrality order (see 2501020047). Friday was the deadline to seek review. Free Press, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge said in a joint statement they won’t appeal. However, the groups said they’re not giving up on net neutrality.
Public Knowledge urged the FCC to safeguard consumers' privacy as it considers rules for next-generation 911, the group said this week in comments on a Further NPRM that commissioners approved in March. Most comments called for the FCC to move with caution as it considers updated rules (see 2508050042).