A cable industry priority for the new year is opposing the FCC's proposal that requires MVPDs to refund subscribers for programming blackouts due to failed retransmission consent talks with broadcasters, ACA Connects President Grant Spellmeyer told Communications Daily. In an interview, Spellmeyer discussed his 18 months as ACA head (see 2205170043), video's declining -- but not negligible -- importance to his members, and cable's broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program concerns. The following transcript was edited for length and clarity.
Altice urged the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to quickly OK a settlement resolving the board’s service quality probe. The settlement has Altice pledging to spend $11 million on its network and making other broadband adoption, network resiliency and customer service commitments. “It’s an important settlement” for local governments, said Best Best attorney Gerard Lederer, who represented Piscataway, New Jersey, in the proceeding.
Lead Republican lawmakers’ recent charge that the FCC was “deeply misleading” about the affordable connectivity program’s efficacy (see 2312150068) has solidified perceptions on and off Capitol Hill that it will be extremely difficult to reach a deal allocating additional money before the initiative's funding runs out next year, lobbyists and observers told us. Estimates peg ACP as likely to exhaust its initial $14.2 billion tranche from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the first half of 2024 (see 2309210060). The White House is pushing for Congress to appropriate an additional $6 billion to fully fund the program through the end of 2024 (see 2310250075).
SpaceX is "pretty happy" with the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference action on higher power levels for non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellites, David Goldman, vice president-space policy, said Wednesday at a Broadband Breakfast event. WRC-23 wrapped up last week in Dubai (see 2312150012). Current ITU equivalent power flux density restraints are "very, very constraining for next-generation systems," he said. Higher power levels for NGSOs would be "a force multiplier," allowing them to serve more customers while remaining below the noise floor for geostationary orbit satellite systems, he said. While there was "lively debate" about higher power levels, including concerns from some nations that rely on GSOs, the outcome -- ITU asking for studies ahead of WRC-27, leaving the door open to updating rules then -- is a big positive, he said. Asked about the FCC's net neutrality proceeding, Kalpak Gude, domestic regulatory affairs head for Amazon's Kuiper, said the company is a net neutrality supporter and operating within the agency's proposed rules should not pose a problem. Gude and SpaceX's Goldman expressed concerns that FCC rules must recognize legitimate network management capabilities for NGSOs. While NTIA's broadband equity, access and deployment program is not technology neutral, with its thumb on the scale in favor of fiber, the agency has indicated NGSO systems can participate and some states are taking a close look at that, Goldman said. He said BEAD cannot reach 100% coverage without a satellite component. He said Starlink qualifies for and will participate in the affordable connectivity program. SpaceX's Starlink has more than 2 million subscribers globally and is operating in more than 80 nations, with Africa its fastest-growing region, he said. Goldman said Starlink has worked through its U.S. backlog and service kits including the antenna are sent within a couple of days of someone signing up online. He said SpaceX will "come close" to hitting its goal of 100 launches this year. Gude said Amazon is "incredibly thrilled" with test results of its two experimental Kuipers in orbit. He said launch of the constellation should start "around the second quarter [of 2024] or so," adding commercial Kuiper service will start in late 2024, but more broad delivery will ramp up in the subsequent couple of years.
House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta of Ohio and 14 other panel Republicans are charging NTIA with ignoring Congress’ intent in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by allowing states to regulate broadband rates via rules for participation in the broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. Rodgers and Latta were among GOP leaders who criticized the FCC Friday for giving Congress “deeply misleading” information about its implementation of IIJA’s affordable connectivity program (see Ref:2312150068]).
Louisiana is the first state to get full NTIA approval of its initial proposal for the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. NTIA approved volume 2 of the state's plan, the agency said Friday. On a videoconference with reporters Thursday, outgoing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said he has no concerns that Gov.-elect Jeff Landry (R) “will depart from the commitment that we have made in our submission.”
Four lead Republicans on the House and Senate Commerce committees and their Communications subpanels raised major concerns Friday with the FCC’s “deeply misleading” claims about the affordable connectivity program's efficacy. Some lobbyists think this is a problem given the Biden administration’s push for Congress to appropriate an additional $6 billion to fully fund the initiative through the end of 2024 (see 2310250075). Estimates peg ACP as likely to exhaust its initial $14.2 billion tranche from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the first half of 2024 (see 2309210060).
Don’t cut a free broadband requirement from California Advanced Services Fund public housing account (PHA) rules, The Utility Reform Network (TURN) urged this week. The California Public Utilities Commission posted comments and replies this week on a staff proposal in docket R.20-08-021. TURN reacted to a suggestion by the California Emergency Technology Fund (CETF) to consider removing the proposal's requirement to provide five years free.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez wants to focus on empowering and engaging with underserved consumers and combating media disinformation, she said Tuesday during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s inaugural Celebrating Latina Excellence event. A news release from her office called it “her first major speech.” Gomez was sworn in Sept. 25. In a news conference after her remarks Tuesday, Gomez said that her most immediate policy goals for the FCC are implementing continued funding for the affordable connectivity program and spectrum auctions authorization, both of which would require congressional action before the agency could act. “I am a firm believer in the power of competition to drive innovation that improves services and lowers prices for consumers,” Gomez said. “But competition only works when the market works”
California’s largest tribe rejected multiple AT&T recommendations for the state’s participation in the broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. The California Public Utilities Commission received reply comments Thursday on volumes one and two of draft BEAD initial proposals (docket R.23-02-016). The Yurok Tribe disagreed with AT&T that project area units should be as geographically small as possible. "AT&T says that requiring minimum geographic units to be equivalent to a contiguous tribal land area could ‘eliminate synergies and increase costs,’ but that’s precisely the logic that has led to a patchwork of service on tribal lands, and the chronic underinvestment of incumbent providers in remote, rural tribal locations,” the tribe said. In addition, Yurok disagreed with AT&T that applicants should have prior experience with technology they plan to deploy. "This suggestion would, quite obviously, completely disqualify a number of new providers seeking to bring quality service to areas long ignored by incumbent providers from eligibility." And the tribe disagreed with the carrier to score more points to larger projects. "Doing so would reward incumbent providers at the cost of new providers, as incumbent providers are better positioned to develop larger projects that serve more locations.” AT&T made the suggestions in its opening comments (see 2311280053). The San Diego Association of Governments urged the CPUC to better prioritize equity. "The current scoring rubric allocates only 10 points out of 100 for projects targeting low-income and disadvantaged communities,” the San Diego group said. While CPUC must comply with NTIA rules, “we contend that this limited point allocation may not serve as a sufficient incentive for ISPs to invest in areas of utmost need.” USTelecom replied, "California should rely on ACP participation and a comparability test to meet BEAD’s affordability requirements and affordability should not be scored on a sliding scale.” If the state adopts low-cost and middle-income affordability plans, “providers should be able to adjust prices to capture inflation, cost of living increases and other costs outside of the providers control such as taxes,” said USTelecom: And don’t prioritize open access. The CPUC’s independent Public Advocates Office urged the CPUC to reject recommendations to modify "affordability requirements in ways that would prioritize private interests over the public interest.”