New Environmental Health Trust (EHT) President Joe Sandri said he wants to popularize the idea that, similar to how cars are marketed based on their safety, wireless services and devices can be sold based on their safety in terms of RF exposure. Sandri was a longtime telecom executive who headed FiberTower, which was bought by AT&T, and IDT Spectrum, which Verizon ultimately absorbed. “I know a lot … from the perspective of an industry player,” he said. He was picked for the top job at EHT in August.

The FCC unanimously approved an FY 2025 regulatory fee order Thursday that hewed closely to the agency’s June NPRM. The order, released Friday, reclassifies 61 indirect full-time equivalents (FTEs) as direct FTEs but rejects calls to create new categories of regulatory fee payors. The FCC will add a new fee category only when “significant FTE resources of a core bureau are being spent on oversight and regulatory activities with respect to a specific service,” the order said. “Such circumstances have not been presented here.” The order will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register, and fees will be due by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Automakers were united in raising concerns about an FCC proposal to update its “covered list” of unsecure companies to reflect a January finding by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on connected vehicles (see 2505270059). Many groups have already opposed the proposal (see 2506300052). In filings Thursday and Friday, four automakers weighed in separately in docket 18-89, arguing that the proposal works against the Trump administration's goal of reinvigorating U.S. auto manufacturing.

The FCC's NPRM examining whether light poles should come under its regulation will get vigorous opposition from utility and local government interests, we're told. Adopted at its July meeting, the NPRM asks whether Section 224 of the Communications Act, which governs pole attachments, also covers light poles (see 2507280053).

An FCC order on FY 2025 regulatory fees is expected to be unanimously approved soon and will likely contain few surprises, according to industry and FCC officials (see 2506050061). The draft order, circulated to the 10th floor last week, changes how fees are assessed in line with proposals in the June NPRM, but it doesn’t take up calls from broadcasters and satellite companies to expand the base of regulatory fee payors. FCC officials told us they anticipate that the order will be issued in time to allow fees to be paid by the deadline at the end of September.

Any changes to the non-geostationary/geostationary orbit satellite spectrum-sharing regime should protect incumbent services, numerous terrestrial and satellite incumbents told the FCC in docket 25-157 this week. Commissioners in April adopted an NPRM looking at changing the satellite spectrum-sharing regime in the 10.7-12.7, 17.3-18.6 and 19.7-20.2 GHz bands (see 2504280038). It sprung from a 2024 SpaceX petition urging changes to the NGSO/GSO sharing methodology for NGSO fixed satellite service downlinks (see 2408120018).

The Department of Commerce's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released summaries of two reports Thursday that were sharply critical of actions by the FirstNet Authority. One found that some FirstNet officials worked to block an OIG investigation, while the second found incidents of retaliation against a FirstNet employee who cooperated with OIG.

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

Minnesota received the OK to "move forward" with its updated BEAD plans, state Office of Broadband Director Bree Maki said Wednesday during a Fiber Broadband Association webinar (see 2508250030). Maki said the approval came Tuesday. "If everything falls into place today ... we're hoping to go out for public comment tomorrow" to meet NTIA's Sept. 4 deadline, Maki said.

Satellite operators are in a tug-of-war with terrestrial interests -- and at times with one another -- over the 12.7 GHz band, according to reply comments this week in docket 25-180. Initial comments in the proceeding also saw satellite industry interest in opening the 12.7 GHz band to satcom (see 2507290045). The FCC adopted a Further NPRM in May asking about opening the 12.7, 42 and 51.4-52.4 GHz bands, as well as parts of the W band, to satellite communications (see 2505280055).