The FCC Wireline Bureau paused phasedown of Lifeline voice-only support until Dec. 1, 2022, said an order Friday, in a move that some had expected (see here). Staff waived the increase of minimum service standards for mobile broadband until then. The bureau didn't address the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates’ petition for reconsideration and instead acted on its own motion.

The FCC approved, with some requirements, Boeing's application for a license to build, deploy and run a satellite-broadband constellation, the agency announced Wednesday afternoon. The vote was 3-0, with Commissioner Geoffrey Starks not participating.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is proposing a Nov. 18 vote on an order that would require some providers to support by July 16 people texting 988 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The order "would adopt a uniform implementation deadline requiring covered text providers to support [such] text messaging" by "the same date the FCC has established 988 as the 3-digit dialing code" for phone calls, the agency announced Wednesday afternoon.

President Joe Biden intends to renominate FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and designate her as the permanent agency head, the White House announced Tuesday. Biden also intends to nominate public interest lawyer and ex-FCC official Gigi Sohn to the vacant commission seat and Alan Davidson for NTIA administrator. All three moves were expected: See here and here.

President Joe Biden is expected to renominate FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel with an intent to designate her as permanent agency head and name public interest lawyer and ex-commission official Gigi Sohn to the agency's vacant seat, according to a senior Democratic congressional official, an industry official and lobbyists.

T-Mobile delayed by three months to March 31 its plan to shut down its 3G CDMA network. The company faced federal and California scrutiny over the move, which was opposed by Dish Network.

The FCC 3.45 GHz auction hit $15 billion after the second bidding round Wednesday, which means it’s now above the $14.77 billion reserve price needed to close the auction. The round was the 40th for the auction. Three more 30-minute rounds are scheduled today.

The District of Columbia’s 911 center failed in many months to meet national standards for getting timely help to callers, found the Office of D.C. Auditor (ODCA) in a Tuesday report. Insufficient supervision of 911 call-taking and dispatch, plus operators’ distrust in automatic location technology, contributed to failures at the Office of Unified Communications including inconsistent call handling and difficulties determining location of emergencies, the report said.

The FCC has sufficient funding available to keep its full staff working “through Oct. 11” if federal appropriations lapse at midnight and much of the government shuts down, acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said during a conference call with reporters Thursday. A shutdown appeared unlikely because Congress appeared poised to pass a revised continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 3 (HR-5305). The House was expected to soon vote on HR-5305; the Senate voted 65-35 earlier Thursday to pass it.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice sued Texas over its social media law, after an industry lawsuit in Florida, the groups announced at around noon EDT Wednesday. Texas HB-20 enacted Sept. 9 prohibits "a targeted list of disfavored 'social media platforms' from exercising editorial discretion over content those platforms disseminate on their own privately owned websites and applications," CCIA and NetChoice said in U.S. District Court in Austin. The groups called it "an unconstitutional law."