The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision limiting the scope of environmental reviews in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado is very broad in its impact, said Venable’s Jay Johnson, who represented the coalition in the case. The decision (see 2506180059) doesn’t apply only to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) enforcement in regard to new railroad projects, “this applies to NEPA as a whole,” Johnson said during an Incompas webinar Thursday. “The court made that exceptionally clear.”
The FCC hasn’t experienced a large-scale workforce reduction and can still operate despite a roughly 6% decrease in staff between October and May, Chairman Brendan Carr said in letters to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Sent at the beginning of May, the letters were posted Thursday by the FCC. Carr was replying to March letters from Cantwell and Hoyer expressing concern about the effects of staff cuts and the involvement of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the FCC.
EchoStar is again making previously delayed interest payments to holders of company notes as it said it continues to try to address issues with the FCC. In an SEC filing Wednesday, EchoStar said it was paying the interest originally due July 1 on 2026 and 2028 notes. Beyond its talks with the FCC, the company said it's engaged in "wide-ranging efforts to explore alternative or complementary pathways that could, if successfully implemented, resolve the FCC’s stated concerns in a manner acceptable to the Company."
The FCC announced that its new Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee (CPAAC) will meet for the first time Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. at FCC headquarters. Chairman Brendan Carr appointed Elizabeth Hill, board member-at-large of the National Association of State Agencies for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Logan Kolas, director of technology at the American Consumer Institute, as co-chairs.
T-Mobile’s buy of a stake in fiber-based provider Metronet as part of a joint venture with investment firm KKR closed Thursday, T-Mobile announced. T-Mobile closed its JV with Lumos in July. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, during a call with analysts Wednesday, highlighted the closing of the deals (see 2507230066). “With both up and running under the T-Fiber banner in the second half, we are poised to deliver 100,000 or more fiber nets on top of our planned 5G broadband nets this year,” Sievert said. “We are off to the races.”
Multiple personnel items that were added to the FCC's Thursday meeting agenda (see 2507170058) have been adopted and deleted, the agency said Wednesday.
Randolph May is president of the Free State Foundation (see 2507180048).
The FCC doesn’t have the authority to expand the base of regulatory fee payors, said a host of trade groups in reply comments on the agency’s proposed 2025 regulatory fees. Replies were due Monday in docket 25-190. NAB and Telesat pushed for the FCC to expand the payor base in their comments filed earlier this month (see 2507080044).
Consumers’ Research said the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should look more closely at an issue raised in the dissent and a footnote in the majority opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision in June upholding the legality of the USF. The FCC and DOJ last week asked the 5th Circuit not to require further briefing but close the case (see 2507170063).
Five personnel items have been added to the FCC's July 24 meeting agenda, according to the Sunshine Notice issued Thursday. One regards appointment of a defense commissioner in the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. The defense commissioner oversees the agency's homeland security, national security and emergency preparedness activities. Also on the agenda are five promotions.