President Joe Biden signed the Safe Connections Act (HR-7132) Wednesday, the White House said. The measure, which the Senate passed in November (see 2211180079), would let domestic abuse survivors separate a mobile phone line from any shared plan involving their abusers without penalties or other requirements and require the FCC to establish rules that ensure calls and texts to domestic abuse hotlines don’t appear on call logs. The House cleared the bill in July (see 2207280052). The measure’s sponsors praised Biden for signing it. “Giving domestic violence abusers control over their victims’ cell phones is a terrifying reality for many survivors,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. “Right now there is no easy way out for these victims -- they’re trapped in by contracts and hefty fees. Our new law will help survivors get out of these shared plans and help victims stay connected with their families and support networks.” It’s “another important step toward ensuring all victims of domestic violence have the support they need and deserve,” said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. “This new law ensures all survivors can remove themselves from shared phone plans without prohibitive costs and requirements, and enroll in the Lifeline Program or the Affordable Connectivity Program to obtain new phones or phone services at discounted prices,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. It's “a meaningful step forward in supporting and protecting individuals who are facing domestic abuse and violence,” said Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H.

The Library of Congress announced a cost of living adjustment for royalty rates that commercial and noncommercial noninteractive webcasters pay for eligible transmissions. The new rates, applicable for calendar year 2023 for eligible transmissions of sound recordings by commercial webcasters are .003 cent per subscription performance and .0024 cent per nonsubscription performance, said Friday's Federal Register notice. The new rate for noncommercial webcasters is .0024 cent per performance for all digital audio transmissions in excess of 159,140 aggregate tuning hours. LOC also announced in Friday's FR a 7.7% COLA in the royalty rates satellite carriers pay for a compulsory license under the Copyright Act.

Hawaii received about $5.5 million to plan for NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) and digital equity programs under the federal infrastructure law, Gov. David Ige (D) said Wednesday at a livestreamed news conference. It includes $5 million for BEAD planning and $500,000 for digital equity planning, Ige said. Hawaii will use the money to identify unserved and underserved households, expand the state broadband office and support Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism efforts to better understand barriers, said the outgoing governor. "The challenges that we faced over the past few years as the pandemic limited our ability to connect in person showed how important it is to have reliable internet access for all residents.” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said "this $5.5 million is just the start."

Comments are due Dec. 23, replies Jan. 23, on an NPRM FCC commissioners approved in October proposing new rules to make the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts more secure (see 2210270058). The comment dates followed publication of a summary of the notice Wednesday in the Federal Register.

FCC commissioners approved a draft order that would further clamp down on gear from Chinese companies, preventing the sale of yet-to-be authorized equipment in the U.S., FCC officials said. The item was subsequently removed from the public circulation list. The draft order, circulated by Chair Jessica Rosenworcel Oct. 5 (see 2210070083), proposed to ban the FCC authorization of gear from companies including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hikvision and Dahua Technology (see 2210130076). The FCC faced a Nov. 11 statutory deadline under the Secure Equipment Act, requiring the agency to stop authorizing equipment by companies the commission decides are a national security risk (see 2111120058).

NAB and the Society of Broadcast Engineers announced Monday a joint memorandum of understanding with DOD to allow non-exclusive access to commercial spectrum at 2025-2110 MHz, at 26 U.S. military sites. The spectrum was sold in the 2014 AWS-3 auction. “The bases were selected for their ability to provide streamlined access to spectrum used by broadcasters for electronic newsgathering and other purposes,” NAB said: “DOD activities at these bases will include test and training missions to assure readiness and enhance electromagnetic spectrum superiority.” The agreement follows “nearly seven years of technical study, and laboratory and field testing,” broadcasters said. “America’s radio and television broadcasters are committed to collaborative spectrum usage that best serves the interests of our country and the millions of listeners and viewers who depend on us every day,” said Robert Weller, NAB vice president-spectrum policy.

The focuses of a Thursday FCC field hearing on Hurricanes Ian and Fiona include ways to improve wireless resiliency through better coordination with the power sector and the firsthand accounts of first responders. The FCC posted a schedule for the hearing, which starts after the conclusion of the open FCC meeting. The hearing features two panels.

The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council will meet in-person at FCC headquarters Dec. 8, starting at 10 a.m. EST, the FCC said Tuesday. The meeting will be the first in-person for the advisory group since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The focus of TAC this cycle is on preparing for 6G.

The FCC deactivated the disaster information reporting system for Tropical Storm Nicole, said a public notice Friday.

Cost of internet service in the U.S. in October was up 0.5% year over year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index unadjusted data released Thursday. Residential phone service costs were up 3.4% year over year, and wireless service costs were down 1.4%. Cable and satellite TV service costs were up 0.8%. October prices overall were up 7.7% year over year before seasonal adjustment, BLS said.