FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel again prodded Congress Wednesday to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to fully fund the FCC's Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, warning Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that the commission plans to begin prorating reimbursements to participants July 15 unless Congress agrees to bridge the gap by that date. House Commerce Committee aides cited the July 15 deadline Thursday as one of the reasons panel leaders are pressing for a deal as soon as possible on a spectrum legislative package that would allocate some future auction proceeds toward rip and replace.
Former FCC nominee Gigi Sohn told reporters Wednesday she’s ready for her next act in the communications policy space, after her withdrawal from contention for the vacant commission slot almost two months ago (see 2303070082). Sohn confirmed during and after an appearance at a Broadband Communities event in Houston that she will sign on in June as the American Association for Public Broadband’s first executive director. The House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee, meanwhile, plans a May 10 hearing on the government’s administration of $65 billion in broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal programs.
The White House appears very close to announcing its nominee for the vacant third Democratic FCC seat, with former acting NTIA Administrator Anna Gomez, ex-Wiley, the prohibitive favorite to get the nod, congressional officials and communications policy lobbyists said in interviews. Gomez, if nominated, would be President Joe Biden's second pick for the seat former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai vacated in early 2021. Previous candidate Gigi Sohn asked Biden in March to withdraw her name after her often-contentious Senate confirmation process repeatedly stalled (see 2303070082). Biden formally withdrew Sohn’s nomination March 30 (see 2303300048).
Congressional telecom policy leaders said in interviews last week there still isn’t consensus for passing legislation from Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., to temporarily restore the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through Sept. 30 (S-650), despite recent indications from House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., that she was reconsidering her earlier opposition to the proposal (see 2304210069). The FCC’s remit lapsed March 9 after Rounds objected to approving a House-passed bill to reauthorize it through May 19 (HR-1108) by unanimous consent and chamber leaders refused his counterbid to swiftly advance S-650 (see 2303090074).
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., confirmed Thursday he plans a hearing as soon as the second week of May with a primary focus on a potential legislative USF revamp. “My intention is for the focus to be in and around USF” given ongoing work with Communications ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., to “create a working group” to draft a legislative revamp, Lujan told us. “Thus far it feels like there’s bipartisan interest from all sides,” so “I’m hopeful this hearing will bring” the issue onto “the front burner and maybe can act as a catalyst for us all to work together and get things done.” Lujan and former Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., refiled the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable (Fair) Contributions Act last month to direct an FCC study of expanding the USF funding pool to include edge providers like Google-owned YouTube and Netflix (see 2303160080). Thune and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., refiled the Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act in late March in a bid to revamp USF's funding mechanism (see 2303280071).
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo countered Republicans’ renewed assertions that NTIA’s notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program includes rate regulation requirements and other provisions Congress didn’t mandate via the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, during a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee hearing. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, meanwhile, is eyeing potential next steps in Commerce Committee Republicans’ push for NTIA to revise or otherwise strip out language from the NOFO they find objectionable (see 2304200064).
The FAA is “not planning to seek an extension” of wireless carriers’ previous commitment to delay some use of their C-band spectrum for 5G past the current July 1 deadline, acting Administrator Billy Nolen said during a Wednesday House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee hearing. The House, meanwhile, easily passed two spectrum bills -- the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act (HR-1343) and Advanced, Local Emergency Response Telecommunications Parity Act (HR-1353).
The White House National Security Council led a 6G summit Friday at the National Science Foundation’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters aimed at ensuring the U.S. leads the coming wireless technology’s standards research development and deployment. Officials in part cited a need to prevent China from gaining a foothold on the emerging technology like it has on 5G. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pushed during the summit for restoring the FCC’s spectrum auction authority as one means of cementing the U.S.' 6G role.
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4 (see 2304200001). Many of the BEAD NOFO concerns Senate Commerce Republicans raised in its Thursday letter to NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson echoed what they cited during a June hearing (see 2206090072).
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member John Thune of South Dakota, Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas and nine other panel Republicans pressed NTIA Thursday to “revise or issue a new” notice of funding opportunity for the $42.5 billion broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program “to address” a range of GOP concerns. They want the agency to respond by May 4. NTIA’s existing BEAD NOFO previously drew Senate Commerce Republicans’ ire during a June hearing.