The Telephone Consumer Protection Act's (TCPA) robocalling restriction doesn't apply to calls made by state legislators, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday as it reversed a lower court's denial of summary judgment. The decision stemmed from litigation against Pennsylvania Rep. Matthew Bradford (D), which was filed by someone who received automated calls from the lawmaker's office on such topics as government resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic and an upcoming shredding event for constituents. Bradford sought summary judgment, arguing that TCPA didn't apply, the claim was barred by 11th Amendment sovereign immunity, and he's protected under qualified immunity.

Real-time AI voice interfaces might undermine the role of phone numbers, Disruptive Analysis consultant Dean Bubley wrote Friday. Many AI chatbots have voice inputs with speech to text and then use large language models to parse the text and generate responses with a text-to-speech spoken reply. But now, several AI platforms also support speech-to-speech interaction with lower latency and more conversational fluidity, he said. That session initiation protocol combined with real-time AI "is a potential gamechanger" and could work as one side of a phone call or an entirely non-call voice application or service, he said. But it's unclear if telcos "are really prepared to engage with a 'number-optional' world for voice."

An FCC NPRM looking at ways to speed up wireless deployments saw few changes from the draft version, while a wireline notice of inquiry had no notable changes. Both were approved by commissioners 3-0 on Tuesday (see 2509300063).

Consumers’ Research and its allies renewed their attack on the legality of the USF contribution factor, filing a petition with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week challenging it for Q4. Last month, the group withdrew an earlier challenge at the 5th Circuit, but industry observers predicted at the time that it would file a new one (see 2509170072). In August, Consumers’ Research asked the FCC to zero out the factor for Q4 (see 2506130016).

A new Tax Foundation report puts additional pressure on policymakers to address the USF contribution factor, Free State Foundation President Randolph May said Wednesday in a blog post. The report, released last week, found that the average household with four phones on a “family share” plan pays $100 per month for taxable wireless services and more than $330 per year in taxes, fees and government surcharges.

The FCC unanimously voted last week to change mobile support policies in Alaska enacted by the previous administration “to ensure efficient use of scarce universal service funds,” said an order released Friday. The order grants in part GCI Communications’ petition for reconsideration of the Alaska Connect Fund Order, approves portions of a waiver request from GCI, and makes other changes to the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF). “We are fine-tuning the Alaska Connect Fund to ensure that it is more appropriately tailored to the topography and needs of Alaska,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement.

An FCC order expanding the reach of the do-not-originate lists and strengthening call-blocking capabilities is effective Dec. 15, said a Monday notice by the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Commissioners approved the order in February (see 2502270058).

Communications companies, local governments, utilities and other respondents to communication outages should prioritize protecting cable and fiber lines, publicize individual action plans and provide mutual aid to one another, the FCC Public Safety Bureau said Thursday in a public notice on cross-sector cooperation for hurricane season. The notice was based on findings gathered during the agency’s hurricane season resiliency roundtable July 7. “Protecting cable and fiber lines is critical to disaster recovery," it said. “Damage to these networks can cripple communications, delays emergency response, disrupts rescue operations, and cuts off essential services like healthcare, transportation, and banking -- severing lifelines for affected communities.” The notice also recommended that stakeholders establish relationships across industries before disasters happen, prepare centralized response plans and lines of communication, and learn the infrastructure and lexicons of other sectors. “Establishing relationships between stakeholders is crucial to effectively preparing for and responding to disasters.”

T-Mobile wants to work with the FCC on revised rules for wireless and wireline deployments, carrier representatives said in meetings with aides to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty. The agency will take up items on wireless and wireline rule changes at the Sept. 30 meeting (see 2509090060).

The FCC should take a comprehensive look at the broadband market in its Telecom Act Section 706 reports to Congress, the National League of Cities said Tuesday. Reply comments on an August notice of inquiry are due Tuesday in docket 25-223. The league comments echo many others already filed in the initial round (see 2509090010).