Carrier executives are managing their networks using AI, but progress is slow, with nearly 60% saying that only 20% or less is now managed by AI, according to a new Mobile World Live survey. Just 10% said AI systems are already managing more than 50% percent of their networks. Traffic prediction and anomaly detection were the top uses for AI, at 47% each, the survey found, followed by predictive maintenance (33%) and energy consumption (25%). Slice management came in at 16%, digital twinning 13%. Among the reasons for slow deployment, 50% cited skill gaps, 49% said data and model security concerns, and 39% said cost. Asked which AI tools they would deploy first, the largest portion of respondents, 49%, said network troubleshooting. Customer engagement pilots came in second at 42%.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition announced Thursday that Joseph Wender, who led the Capital Projects Fund at the Treasury Department, has been named executive director. Wender replaces John Windhausen, who announced in December he was leaving after 16 years (see 2412130048). Wender is also a former staffer to Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “This is a crucial moment in our nation’s efforts to promote broadband deployment and adoption,” Wender said in a statement. “Connectivity is the foundation of modern education, healthcare, and economic opportunity for kids, families, and communities.”

The National Consumers League and four small business owners asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for permission to intervene to seek rehearing of a January decision rejecting part of the FCC’s 2023 robocall and robotext order. Judges agreed then with petitioner Insurance Marketing Coalition that the commission exceeded its authority under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in issuing its one-to-one consent rule (see 2501240068). The court acted just before the rule was slated to take effect.

Supply chain annual reports from advanced communications providers are due by March 31, the FCC Office of Economics and Analytics said in a public notice Tuesday. The law and FCC rules require providers to report on whether they have rented, purchased, leased or obtained equipment or services from the agency’s list of unsecure companies. The filing results from prior supply chain annual reports were released as a public list last year (see 2411270027). The reporting portal and filing instructions are on the FCC’s website.

FTC political appointees are prohibited from holding leadership roles in the American Bar Association, participating in ABA events or renewing ABA memberships, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced Feb. 14.

AT&T announced Friday that its board of directors elected CEO John Stankey as chair. Stankey replaces former FCC Chairman William Kennard, who was elected lead independent director. “As AT&T embarks on its comprehensive, Board-approved three-year strategic and capital allocation plan, this change provides the right governance structure for the Board,” Kennard said. A board member since 2014, Kennard was named chair in January 2021. Stankey became CEO and president five years ago.

Capital expenditures declined among major providers worldwide in Q3 2024, to $71.1 billion, down 6.1% from the same quarter in 2023, ResearchAndMarkets.com reported Monday. Reliance Jio’s capex was off 27.4% over the previous year, the steepest decline. Others that saw spending drop were Verizon (down 22.5%), Vodafone (20%), Deutsche Telekom (18.1%) and KDDI (16.3%), the report said. BSNL saw capex growth of 300.6%, followed by Telstra (52.3%) and BT (4.8%). Telcos reported $1.77 trillion in revenue, up 0.1% year over year, with labor costs of $262.4 billion, up 0.8%, the report said.

Sytel, which sells dialer and contact center products, urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to rethink the agency's Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules to focus on “dialing outcomes” rather than the dialing method used. “Current TCPA interpretations focus on the capability of dialing systems rather than their actual use,” said a filing Friday in docket 02-278. “This has led to complex enforcement challenges and continuing legal uncertainty. As the FCC appreciates, it has led to an interpretation of the TCPA that the only safe dialing process is a manual one, eschewing the benefits that proper automation can bring.” Neither manual nor hybrid dialing methods, with people “trying to emulate predictive dialers, can achieve anything like the performance of automated predictive dialers,” the U.K.-based company said. “The idea that humans can by themselves dial and profitably manage predictive campaigns of any size, without causing considerable levels of nuisance calls to consumers, is unfounded.”

FCC claims that Telnyx didn't do enough to stop apparent scam calls made using its voice service platform are factually wrong, the company said Wednesday. Telnyx said it "has done everything and more than the FCC has required for Know-Your-Customer and customer due diligence procedures." FCC commissioners this week approved a proposed $4.5 million fine against the company; it was the first commission-level action under Chairman Brendan Carr (see 2502040065). In a statement, Telnyx said the FCC traditionally has expected providers to take reasonable steps to detect and block illegal traffic, and now the agency wants to impose fines "for limited unlawful calling activity that Telnyx not only did not originate but swiftly blocked within a matter of hours." It said the agency is trying to introduce "an unprecedented zero-tolerance requirement on providers through enforcement action, in the absence of any defined rules informing providers what is expected of them."

With the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) out of the picture, Lifeline's monthly benefits aren't covering the growing broadband affordability gap, the National Lifeline Association said in a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr posted Wednesday (docket 21-450). NaLA said its most recent survey of more than 68,000 consumers found that 40% of respondents reduced their food spending to afford the monthly internet bill, 20% indicated they were unable to work remotely or accept shift work, and nearly 20% said their children were having difficulty completing homework. In addition, 36% reported having discontinued telehealth after ACP ended in 2024, and 70% said they relied on ACP and/or Lifeline benefits to access healthcare services, including telehealth. Lifeline’s $9.25 monthly subsidy “comes nowhere close to making basic retail internet service offerings affordable,” NaLA said, since most prepaid mobile broadband plans with at least 5GB of data and mobile hot spot cost $30 or more, and none offer a free smartphone. NaLA said it pushed for interim funding for a reformed ACP, and it supports long-term funding for a single low-income support program inside the USF.