States that support the FCC’s July order implementing the Martha Wright-Reed Act of 2022 (see 2501280053) defended it in a brief at the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “Amici States operate correctional facilities covered by the Order and seek to maintain security within those facilities while enhancing broader public safety,” said the brief filed this week in docket 24-8028. It was signed by the District of Columbia, New York, California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington said in a podcast interview Tuesday that for the U.S. to compete effectively with China, it needs to remove regulatory barriers to industry. China has given companies such as Huawei “an open door” to acquire land, receive research and development grants, and hire non-Chinese workers, Simington said on Dinesh D’Souza's podcast. In 2024, D’Souza’s book and film questioning the 2020 election -- both called 2000 Mules -- were removed by publisher and broadcaster Salem Media from all platforms after their depictions of voter fraud were found to be false (see 2405310069).
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
CTIA expressed support for a possible auction of upper C-band spectrum, though broadcasters, aviation companies and some commenters were more skeptical, warning of harmful interference with other operations, among comments that were due Tuesday on the upper C-band notice of inquiry, which the FCC approved in February (see 2502280032). It explores the 3.98-4.2 GHz band's future.
The private sector can't take all the responsibility for safeguarding against and responding to major cybersecurity events like the Salt Typhoon data hack of communications networks, House Communications and Technology Subcommittee members heard Wednesday. Putting Salt Typhoon blame solely on industry ignores the government's failure to share information with the private sector, Technology Industry Association CEO David Stehlin said during the roughly 2.5-hour hearing about protecting communications infrastructure. The session also saw communications and national security experts lay out a variety of recommendations for improving U.S. communications network security, from uniform ways to report cyber incidents to actually punishing nations that tamper with U.S. subsea cables.
What will come out of the FCC’s “Delete” proceeding is hard to say at this point, since it builds on other FCC efforts to cut regulations, experts said during a webinar Wednesday by the Center for Business and Public Policy at Georgetown University. The FCC has logged more than 1,100 comments so far in docket 25-133, with replies due this week (see 2504290054 and 2504290038).
The FCC will consider rules growing out of last year’s “bad lab” NPRM during the commission’s May 22 meeting, Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday. Also on the agenda are foreign-ownership rules and an NPRM about spectrum for satellite broadband. Drafts will be posted Thursday.
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty on a bipartisan vote Wednesday, as expected (see 2504290058), but Democrats made clear they won't allow a smooth confirmation process on the floor unless the Trump administration commits to picking a party-affiliated candidate to replace retiring Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington and five other panel Democrats voted for Trusty on Wednesday, even as misgivings about Starks' replacement and the FCC's independence during the Trump administration led seven caucus members to vote against the nominee.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr names Joseph Calascione, ex-Akin Gump and FCC, Wireline Bureau chief, replacing acting Chief Trent Harkrader ... Vonage promotes Seckin Arikan to COO; Christophe Van de Weyer, formerly Proximus Group, replaces him as president and head of business unit API … Changes at TowerCom: George Davis promoted to CEO; Matt Richard to CFO, replacing Dave Olson, a board member; Chip Bulloch to senior vice president-East, a new position; John Stevens, ex-Boingo Wireless, joins as regional vice president-West, replacing Chris Colton, deceased ... Correction: Trent Harkrader, who has stepped down as acting FCC Wireless Bureau chief, has been at the agency since 1999 (see 2504280019).
EchoStar's Hughes subsidiary has reached Jupiter 3 coordination agreements with SpaceX and other non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite operators, but talks with Amazon about its Kuiper constellation continue, EchoStar told the FCC Space Bureau in a filing posted Tuesday. The coordination agreements -- to ensure that Jupiter 3 operations at 18.8-19.3 GHz and 28.6-29.1 GHz don't cause harmful interference -- were a condition of the approval of the satellite, which launched in 2023. EchoStar said it has met with Kuiper and the FCC on multiple occasions in coordination discussions. With the coordination agreement to be reached at least 60 days before launch of the NGSO system, EchoStar said it was submitting to the FCC its interference protection plan for Kuiper operations at 18.8-19.3 GHz and 28.6-29.1 GHz. The inaugural batch of Kuiper's satellites intended for commercial broadband service launched Monday and "were operating as expected in low earth orbit," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote Tuesday on X.