The FCC Wireline Bureau made several Rural Digital Opportunity Fund census block groups eligible for other funding programs following letters from Charter and Altice notifying the commission that each company was surrendering some winning bids (see 2405010080). The bureau said in a public notice Friday in docket 19-126 that the carriers "will be subject to penalties" for their defaulted bids.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended the agency’s order and Further NPRM on robocalls and robotexts. In letters to Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., posted Friday, she wrote that the commission "has now made it unequivocally clear" that sending robocalls or robotexts to consumers will require "prior express written consent ... on a one-to-one basis.” The lawmakers were concerned about the effect of that FCC policy on comparison shopping websites. “Our record indicated that consumers can unexpectedly receive hundreds or more robocalls and robotexts from a single inquiry on comparison shopping websites,” Rosenworcel said: While some of the websites “may have used this loophole to provide consumers with the ability to quickly compare goods and services and discover new sellers, our record demonstrated that consumers are often overwhelmed with robocalls and robotexts they did not agree to receive.”

EchoStar's supposed informal objection to SpaceX's request to do supplemental coverage from space (SCS) operations testing in Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand (see 2404230038) only suggests conditions for SpaceX's experimental special temporary authority application, rather than giving any reason to deny the request, according to SpaceX. SpaceX said in docket 23-65 Tuesday that it has already addressed almost all the proposed conditions by such commitments as conducting testing pursuant to a spectrum access arrangement between SpaceX and a mobile partner and taking steps to eliminate harmful interference if it occurs. SpaceX said the FCC "should reject [EchoStar's] demand to violate the national sovereignty of foreign administrations by imposing blanket operational limits."

WTA urged the FCC to consider "alternatives not involving waivers or amnesties" that will incentivize Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase (RDOF) I auction recipients who can't or won't build networks to relinquish their awards ahead of NTIA's broadband, equity, access, and deployment (BEAD) program (see 2404240050). The group said in a meeting with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that the FCC "must strictly enforce its auction rules, terms, and conditions." A waiver would "not only encourage future reverse auction participants to expect relief from unsuccessful bidding tactics" but also "open the door to increased judicial scrutiny," WTA said in an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 19-126. The FCC should "condition an RDOF awardee's acceptance of the reduced default penalty" of 10% of a carrier's "total relevant RDOF support" on the awardee's "enforceable commitment not to seek BEAD grants for any of its relinquished RDOF service areas."

The FCC received assignments in a national security memorandum that President Joe Biden signed Tuesday. They were similar to those in a 2013 presidential directive. The memorandum says the U.S. “is in the midst of a generational investment in the Nation’s infrastructure” but faces “an era of strategic competition with nation-state actors who target American critical infrastructure and tolerate or enable malicious actions conducted by non-state actors.” Moreover, the memorandum directs the FCC to “identify and prioritize communications infrastructure by collecting information” on communications networks. It is tasked with assessing sector risks and “work[ing] to mitigate those risks by requiring, as appropriate, regulated entities to take specific actions to protect communications networks and infrastructure,” the directive says. It calls on the agency to collaborate with “communications sector industry members, foreign governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to identify best practices and impose corresponding regulations.” The FCC "is committed to doing its part, working with government and industry partners, to increase the security and resilience of our nation's communications infrastructure," an agency spokesperson emailed.

The FCC Wireline Bureau on Tuesday extended the deadlines for SI Wireless and other carriers to remove, replace and dispose Huawei and ZTE equipment from their networks. The deadline for Si Wireless was extended from May 24 to Nov. 24. “SI Wireless states that it has continued to experience delays in obtaining replacement equipment, in some cases experiencing delays of 4-6 months,” said the notice in docket 18-89: “It also asserts that equipment vendors are focusing on their production of 5G equipment and have reduced or terminated production of 4G LTE equipment, making it more difficult to access 4G-only LTE equipment.” Among the other extensions, the bureau moved the deadline for Bristol Bay Cellular from April 25 to Oct. 25, for Commnet Wireless from four deadlines in July to deadlines in January, for Mark Twain Communications from June 6 to Dec. 6, for Pine Belt Cellular from July 18 to Jan. 17, for Plateau Telecommunications from July 18 to Jan. 18, for Point Broadband Fiber from five deadlines in April and May to October and November, and for Southern Ohio Communication Services, from April 6 to Oct. 6.

The FCC and FTC agreed to "coordinate consumer protection efforts" on net neutrality, the agencies announced in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Tuesday (see 2404250004). "If consumers have problems, they expect the nation’s expert authority on communications to be able to respond," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. FTC Chair Lina Khan noted that "effective law enforcement requires targeting the upstream actors enabling unlawful conduct, and having the FCC as a partner here will be critical.” The MOU ends the 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom agreement between the two agencies and clarifies that commitments from prior MOUs "remain in effect and are not altered or invalidated by the new MOU."

Incompas CEO Chip Pickering urged lawmakers and industry to "mitigate the potential risks" of artificial intelligence (AI) as the technology "becomes more sophisticated." In a blog Friday, Pickering wrote that companies "must develop public trust by building transparent AI systems" and "take accountability for the technology they release to the public." It's also "key for the lawmakers considering regulations surrounding AI to balance responsibility and accountability, while empowering innovation and competition."

The FCC Enforcement Bureau wants letters of intent by May 29 from entities interested in leading the industry consortium for robocall traceback efforts, said a public notice Friday. USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group currently holds the position (see 2308180041). Comments on submitted letters of intent are due by June 12, replies by June 19, in docket 20-22.

Mental health community advocacy drove the FCC move to require georouting of calls to the 988 Lifeline, and it would be similar advocacy that would have the agency pursue 988 geolocation, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday. The commissioners approved 5-0 the NPRM that would require georouting of 988 calls to the closest call center based on the caller's location. Rosenworcel said georouting protects privacy while providing a more accurate picture of the caller’s true location than relying on the caller’s area code. She said the georouting approach is based on a consensus in the mental health community. “Going forward, we are going to continue to be guided by the mental health experts,” she said. Rosenworcel added that nationwide wireless providers have made notable headway on 988 implementation since she wrote them in September, urging them to craft georouting implementation plans (see 2309280085). Prior to the vote, Ann Mazur, CEO of Rockville, Maryland-based hotline crisis operator EveryMind, spoke before the commissioners about why georouting is needed. She said providing service and references to local mental health resources is mired in “layers of complexity” due to the lack of georouting as well as relatively little knowledge about 988.