Supporters of the FCC's July 2024 order allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services told us they will continue campaigning after the Senate cleared an initial procedural hurdle in considering a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res. 7) to undo the rule. The Senate approved a motion Tuesday to proceed to the CRA measure on a 53-47 party-line vote, confounding some E-rate supporters’ expectations that a handful of Republicans would cross party lines to oppose it (see 2505060032).
Eutelsat names Jean-Francois Fallacher, formerly Orange France, as CEO, effective June 1, replacing Eva Berneke, who will assist with the transition ... Hannah Lepow, ex-FCC, becomes senior counsel-regulatory affairs at NBCUniversal (see 2504160020) … The American Telemedicine Association elects Nate Lacktman, Foley & Lardner, as chair.
The Media Bureau is seeking comment on HC2’s petition asking the FCC to allow low-power broadcasters to transmit using the 5G broadcast standard, said a public notice Friday. Comments are due in docket 25-168 June 2, replies July 1. HC2 has argued that the standard, which some view as a competitor to ATSC 3.0, provides an opportunity for a flagging LPTV industry to broadcast to mobile devices (see 2504030053).
President Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr are undermining the freedom of the press, said the Center for American Progress in a post Monday. In their actions against broadcasting networks, Trump and Carr have taken steps “to threaten, investigate, and continue litigating with media companies that Trump perceives as political adversaries,” CAP said. “Retribution against the media hurts everyday Americans, who depend on an undeterred press to accurately report the news, expose wrongdoing, and help them hold elected leaders accountable.” Using the FCC’s regulatory powers “against news organizations that Trump has long criticized, often for their protected editorial decisions,” is not in the public interest, CAP said. “The practices of Trump and the FCC -- including seemingly ignoring established legal processes and aggregating power -- could transform the press from a vigilant watchdog into a weakened lapdog.”
The U.S. is “poorly positioned to counter China’s effort to win the wireless future,” said new CTIA President and CEO Ajit Pai in a weekend opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. Carriers lack enough licensed spectrum to keep up with expected consumer demand, wrote Pai, who served as FCC chairman during the first Trump presidency. “Thanks to AI, 5G home broadband and other emerging technologies, traffic on wireless networks is expected to triple by 2029.”
UL Solutions asked the FCC to further extend the deadline from May 3 to June 13 to complete its initial work as lead administrator in the agency’s voluntary cyber trust mark program (see 2503040062). The Public Safety Bureau previously extended the original March deadline by 60 days (see 2503050025).
Competitive Carriers Association representatives spoke with aides to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about the agency's broadband data collection (BDC) “and the importance of an improved mobile mapping process in general” as it moves forward on a 5G Fund. Representatives of Nex-Tech Wireless, Ookla and Cellcom/Nsight were also at the meeting.
UScellular executives on Friday projected a mid-2025 closing on the proposed sale of wireless assets to T-Mobile following regulatory approvals. During a call with analysts to release Q1 results, UScellular said it lost 39,000 postpaid subscribers in the period ending March 31.
Representatives of Alaska Communications spoke with FCC Wireline Bureau staff about the status of the carrier’s participation in the Alaska Connect Fund. “We stated that the company expects to meet its final deployment obligations under ACF Phase I by December 31” and “also provided an update on the status of Alaska’s participation in the BEAD Program,” said a filing posted Monday (docket 23-328).
Disruptive Analysis Director Dean Bubley said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s high-profile promise of a Golden Dome that will protect the U.S. from missile attacks, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, “should lead policymakers to rethink the wisdom or feasibility of clearing” the DOD-controlled 3.1-3.45 GHz band for commercial 5G use. DOD supporters’ concerns about repurposing the lower 3 GHz band are the main sticking point in talks to mandate a spectrum pipeline as part of a coming budget reconciliation package (see 2505020047). DOD in March proposed making 420 MHz from current military-controlled frequencies available for FCC auction while maintaining the Pentagon’s grip on the lower 3 GHz band (see 2504040068).