President Donald Trump said in a post Tuesday that his settlement with Paramount over a 60 Minutes interview has been paid and includes $20 million in ads, public service announcements and programming, on top of the $16 million donation to his presidential library that Paramount previously announced (see 2507020053). The company had denied that the settlement included PSAs or any payout beyond the $16 million, and it appeared to reaffirm that denial Tuesday.
AST SpaceMobile is facing growing global opposition from the amateur radio universe about plans to use the 430-440 MHz band for telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) (see 2507170030). Since last Wednesday, docket 25-201 has received more than 2,100 submissions -- most from amateur radio advocates. Comments were due Monday on AST's request to use the band and operate an additional 243 satellites atop the five already authorized (see 2506200061).
New York will soon be the latest state to make incarcerated individuals' phone calls free in an effort to increase communication accessibility and improve prison safety. Five states -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Minnesota -- have already made phone calls free in their facilities. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) announced Tuesday that the change will take effect Aug. 1.
FCC commissioners are expected to approve, with a few tweaks, an NPRM designed to help major providers more easily retire aging copper networks. Industry officials said Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez appears likely to dissent on the item at Thursday’s open meeting. Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld told us Tuesday that the group has major concerns with proposals in the draft.
Verizon is seeing a continuing hit from the current administration’s cuts to the federal workforce, CEO Hans Vestberg acknowledged Monday as the company announced Q2 results. Verizon was the first of the big three carriers to release quarterly results.
Industry commenters broadly supported a CTIA petition asking the FCC to extend a temporary waiver that allows use of the interim volume control testing method for hearing-aid compatibility (HAC) compliance (see 2507020051). Groups representing consumers said any additional waiver must be limited and come with “safeguards and guardrails.” The current waiver expires Sept. 29.
The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee’s FY 2026 budget bill, which the subpanel planned to mark up Monday evening, would maintain the FCC’s annual funding level and bar the agency from using money to enforce certain policies that originated during the Biden administration and have been in Republicans’ crosshairs.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., several Senate Democrats and the Writers Guild of America are questioning whether CBS’ Thursday announcement that it’s canceling The Late Show, hosted by Stephen Colbert, stemmed from Trump administration pressure related to the federal review of Skydance’s $8 billion purchase of network owner Paramount Global. That company recently reached a $16 million settlement in President Donald Trump's lawsuit over CBS’ editing of a 60 Minutes interview last October with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Some attorneys see that settlement as aimed at easing the path to FCC approval of Skydance's deal, but Paramount has denied those claims (see 2507020053).
Pearl TV pushed back on critics of ATSC 3.0’s use of encryption in an FCC filing Friday that said a popular DVR “gateway” device is blocked from receiving 3.0 broadcasts because it incorporates tech from Chinese company Huawei. Pearl’s claims about the HDHomeRun are “false,” said Nick Kelsey, president of SiliconDust, which makes the device. “We have zero association with the Chinese government. Proudly designed and developed in the United States of America.”
NCTA is challenging some changes sought by utility company interests to the FCC's pole attachment item on its July agenda. The proceeding continues to attract significant lobbying from broadband and utility advocates (see 2507160024), particularly over contractor approvals.