The Alliance for Automotive Innovation emailed FCC commissioners' staff, except that of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, laying out its positions on an order finalizing rules for cellular vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band. Rosenworcel circulated the order in July (see 2404180050). “Finalization” of the order “will help address the ongoing regulatory uncertainty that has delayed the widespread deployment of this important technology,” said a filing Friday in docket 19-158. “C-V2X technologies and the use cases enabled by the technology continue to evolve and the technical rules” established “should be flexible enough to support that continued evolution,” the alliance said. The group also stressed the importance of protecting C-V2X from “harmful interference from unlicensed operations in the U-NII-4 band.”
The FCC on Friday released an order commissioners approved Thursday expanding the range of accessibility features that must be included in videoconferencing platforms (see 2409260026). The item also includes a Further NPRM. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Anna Gomez issued statements with the order. “We take steps to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access and use video conferencing, a modern communications tool that is critical in connecting for work, education, health, and other fundamental life activities,” the item says.
President Joe Biden signed the Launch Communications Act (S-1648) Thursday night, the White House said. The measure, which the House passed earlier this month (see 2409180049), will require that the FCC streamline the authorization process for commercial launches’ access to spectrum. The Senate approved S-1648 last year. Lead sponsors Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., hailed its enactment Friday. It's “a win for American innovation,” Hickenlooper said. Now “we can lead the next era of space exploration.” The U.S. “must maintain its edge in the 21st century space race against China, and this legislation is a necessary step in maintaining American space dominance,” said Schmitt, who is Senate Commerce Space Subcommittee ranking member.
Consumers' Research asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the FCC's Universal Service Fund contribution factor for Q4 of FY 2024 (see 2409130054). In a filing posted Thursday (docket 24-60494), the group repeated its claim that USF contributions are illegal taxes that the Universal Service Administrative Co. collects and "should be rejected."
Emergency 911 networks appear largely to have withstood the powerful Hurricane Helene, officials said Friday. Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday at 11 p.m. in Taylor County, part of Florida’s Big Bend region, with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday. After preparing for the massive storm (see 2409250048), telecom companies reported some damage to network infrastructure and said they are responding to problems that flooding and power outages caused.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr again took aim at how the Biden administration and NTIA have implemented the $42.5 billion broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, a concern Republicans on Capitol Hill have amplified (see 2409190063). BEAD is “a program worth fighting for,” but it must change, Carr said Friday during an American Enterprise Institute webinar.
House Oversight Committee GOP leaders said Thursday night they launched an investigation into the FCC’s handling of radio group Audacy’s request for a temporary waiver of FCC foreign-ownership rules to complete a bankruptcy restructuring that includes George Soros-affiliated entities purchasing its stock. Panel Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., claim the FCC’s expected approval of Audacy’s request (see 2409170015) represents a politicization of the review process just more than one month before the Nov. 5 presidential election. Langworthy briefly raised the issue during a House Oversight hearing earlier this month (see 2409190063).
The FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council on Friday heard initial reports from its three working groups, which are just starting. Speakers warned that the assigned topics are challenging. Focusing on AI and 6G, CSRIC held its initial meeting in June (see 2406280050). Friday's was the first meeting of substance under the new cycle.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel acknowledged Friday that the agency’s definition of AI may need fine-tuning and rejected the idea of a dedicated AI regulatory agency. Speaking at the 7th Annual Berkeley Law AI Institute, she also discussed the end of Chevron deference.
FCC announcements: Wireless Bureau’s Jeffrey Tignor moves to Office of Communication and Business Opportunities as acting director and Commissioner Anna Gomez hires Cierra Nokes as executive assistant; also, Frederick Giroux, Enforcement Bureau; Thomas Horan, Media Bureau; Kathleen Campbell, Space Bureau; and Ron Repasi, Office of Engineering and Tech, are retiring … FCC announces winners of agency awards: Robert Pavlak and Kamran Etemad for Excellence in Engineering and Steven Kauffman, Jeffrey Ocker, Alexander Simmons and Paul LaFontaine for Excellence in Economic Analysis … Squirro SaaS platform for generative AI appoints Growth Analytics’ Gary Kearns as board chairman.