Incarcerated people's communications service (IPCS) providers pushed back against FCC proposals for setting uniform service quality standards. While they also argued for redoing the reimbursement process adopted earlier this year, that argument is seeing opposition. Reply comments were filed this week in docket 12-375. The FCC's IPCS order, adopted in July, included a Further NPRM seeking comment on establishing video IPCS rates, updating the definition of jails and prisons, and addressing other service quality issues (see 2407180039).

The FCC Technology Advisory Council’s working groups will likely propose that the council issue recommendations about AI, spectrum sharing and propagation modeling, according to presentations at Thursday’s TAC meeting. During the meeting, TAC Chairman Dean Brenner said he will follow FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s lead and leave his post Jan. 20. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the incoming chair, should “pick the person that he wants to lead the TAC,” said Aira Technologies' Brenner, who has chaired TAC for three years. The TAC's charter expires in September.

Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.

Saying China-affiliated parties have compromised telecom networks, stolen customer call record data and accessed private communications of senior U.S. officials, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Wednesday issued mobile communications best practices guidance that it said mirrors advice it's giving federal agencies and Congress. "There is no single solution," but the guidance's content will enhance security, Jeff Greene, executive assistant director-cybersecurity, DHS' CISA, told press members.

The FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council’s working groups are making progress toward providing the agency with reports on AI security concerns, ensuring access to 911 as networks evolve and offering recommendations for 6G security, said the group leads during Wednesday’s CSRIC meeting. The groups are on pace to deliver several reports in 2025 and 2026, with the first -- on AI, machine learning and the specific security concerns they bring to communications networks -- due in March. “We believe this is a complex task,” said working group co-Chair Vijay Gurbani, Vail Systems' chief data scientist.

Backers of the revised AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (HR-8449) signaled Wednesday they want to move swiftly on the proposal next year after congressional leaders didn't reach a deal to include it in a continuing resolution that extends federal appropriations through March 14. The CR released Tuesday night includes language from the NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-4510) and several other telecom and tech bills. Meanwhile, the Senate voted 85-15 Wednesday to pass the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-5009) with language that would authorize the AWS-3 reauction to offset $3.08 billion in funding for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2412070001).

Federal appellate Judge Robert Luck repeatedly expressed skepticism Wednesday about the one-to-one robotext consent policy the FCC adopted a year ago (see 2312130019). During roughly 33 minutes of oral argument before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (docket 24-10277), Luck and Matthew Dunne from the FCC Office of General Counsel repeatedly circled around the issue of whether the agency went too far in implementation. The Insurance Marketing Coalition (IMC) is challenging the FCC order, arguing that the agency exceeded its Telephone Consumer Protection Act statutory authority (see 2405170005). Some observers had predicted the FCC could face an 11th Circuit having particular misgivings regarding regulatory agency reach (see 2412060029).

Incoming House Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., plans on introducing comprehensive and kids’ privacy bills in the new year, he told us Tuesday.

The FCC should grant broadcasters a brief retroactive waiver of the agency’s audible crawl rules to allow them to adequately display emergency information until the agency decides on a longer-term solution, nearly every commenter said in docket 12-107 responding to a recent NAB petition (see 2411290007).

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., clarified that he hasn’t yet been selected as Senate Communications Subcommittee chairman for the next Congress despite filling in during a subpanel hearing last week (see 2412110067) for current ranking member John Thune, R-S.D. Current Communications Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico is hopeful but not certain that he will remain the subpanel’s lead Democrat next year. Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, who will be House Commerce Committee chairman in the next Congress, said he’s adding 10 current and incoming Republican lawmakers to the panel.