Wireless carriers have traditionally opposed the jamming of wireless signals at correctional facilities and supported managed access systems, but with FCC commissioners set to approve on Tuesday a Further NPRM proposed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the industry has had little to say in recent weeks (see 2509050055). Industry observers said the draft FNPRM is likely to be approved largely as proposed.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) case brought by lawyers Mark O’Connor and Sara Leibman, who allege that UScellular fraudulently obtained nearly $113 million in bidding credits in an FCC auction by participating through a “shell company,” Advantage Spectrum. The D.C. Circuit didn’t rule on the merits and said the case could continue.
SpaceX and EchoStar filed documents at the FCC on Friday about their proposed $17 billion deal, announced earlier this month (see 2509080052). SpaceX will buy AWS-4 and H-block spectrum from EchoStar, while EchoStar's Boost Mobile subscribers will gain access to Starlink’s direct-to-cell (D2C) service. After the announcement, the FCC dropped two investigations of EchoStar for potentially violating FCC rules (see 2509090036).
FCC items reversing its off-premises hot spot and school bus Wi-Fi programs, which were approved during the Biden administration, are expected to be approved 2-1 Tuesday, with a dissent from Commissioner Anna Gomez, agency and industry officials told us. Officials active in the proceeding warned that for the school bus program in particular, it’s unclear what will happen to projects already funded under the E-rate program.
In the past, carrier investment and wireless technology cycles largely aligned, as carriers rolled out the next generation of wireless, said Brian Daly, assistant vice president of wireless technology strategy and standards at AT&T. As 6G is deployed, the cycles no longer match up, he said Thursday during a Light Reading advanced wireless networks webinar. “We’re moving more toward a continuous innovation, continuous disruption cycle.”
The FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) unanimously approved a report Thursday on “best practices” for the FCC and industry on the ethical and practical use of AI and machine learning (ML). The report, which examines privacy and new risks for telecom networks, wasn’t released Thursday.
The attorneys general from 23 mostly Republican-dominated states this week supported a proposal by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to allow corrections officials to jam cellphone signals. Commissioners are slated to take up a Further NPRM at their meeting Tuesday (see 2509090060), and Carr has said he hopes new rules will be in place next year (see 2509050055). A week ahead of the meeting, only a few comments on the FNPRM have been posted in docket 13-111.
The FCC got significant pushback on its proposal to sharply limit the scope of its Telecom Act Section 706 reports to Congress, according to reply comments that were due Tuesday in docket 25-223. Public interest groups said in a joint filing that “narrowing” the focus of the reports “will threaten [the] commission’s ability to achieve universal service.” Commissioners approved a notice of inquiry ahead of the August open meeting (see 2508050056).
While Japan led the move to open radio access networks (ORAN), the action is shifting to North America, said Stephane Teral, chief analyst at Teral Research, during an RCR Wireless virtual conference Tuesday. Experts agreed that carriers have no choice but to move into an open network world if they want to meet the growing demands of their customers.
Telecom providers largely welcomed FCC proposals to streamline the agency’s slamming and truth-in-billing rules, according to their responses to an NPRM that commissioners approved in July (see 2507240055). Consumer and public interest groups disagreed, calling for some protections to remain in place. Comments were due Monday and mostly posted Tuesday in docket 17-169.