The FCC’s March 7 response opposing Essential Network Technologies and MetComm.net's Feb. 26 emergency motion to expedite consideration of the companies' E-rate program appeal “confirms that the motion should be granted,” according to the petitioners’ reply Wednesday (docket 24-1027) at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Utility companies and some industry groups urged the FCC to maintain its current rules for pole attachment application processes, noting the commission recently adopted new rules to help facilitate the process to expedite and streamline broadband deployment. Some ISPs said process delays remain and backed FCC-established timelines for larger pole attachment orders. Reply comments were posted Thursday in docket 17-84 (see 2402140048).
Twenty industry and business groups, including CTIA, USTelecom and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, seek expedited briefing and oral argument on their consolidated petitions for review challenging the lawfulness of the FCC’s Nov. 20 digital discrimination order (see 2402290002), said their motion Wednesday (docket 24-1183) in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Senate Commerce Committee needs to meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Senate Intelligence Committee before deciding on potentially marking up TikTok-related national security legislation, Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told reporters Thursday (see 2403130039).
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us she's considering a clean FCC reauthorization bill that could pay for some of congressional leaders’ telecom priorities but wouldn’t necessarily mandate that the commission begin sales of specific frequencies. Senate Commerce plans a March 21 hearing on that and other spectrum policy issues, Cantwell told us Thursday ahead of a formal panel announcement. Cantwell's proposal would be in line with her pursuit of a slimmed-down measure (see 2403110066) drawing some elements of the stalled House Commerce Committee-cleared Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (HR-3565).
FCC commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday, over dissents by Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, to approve the agency's Telecom Act Section 706 report to Congress. The report concluded that broadband isn't deployed in a "reasonable and timely fashion," with about 24 million Americans lacking access to speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps. The two Republicans also dissented at the commissioners' open meeting on a proposed requirement that cable and satellite TV multichannel programming distributors display prominently the aggregate cost of video programming in ads and customer bills.
FCC commissioners approved 5-0 a voluntary cyber trust mark program based on National Institute of Standards and Technology criteria during their open meeting Thursday. As expected, commissioners noted changes in the item since a draft circulated three weeks ago (see 2403130047). Also, as expected, the FCC will ask additional questions in a further notice about software and hardware from countries of national security concern and whether data from U.S. citizens will be stored abroad. The FCC was under pressure to make changes.
The FCC should dismiss SpaceX’s “procedurally deficient” petition seeking greater access to the 2 GHz spectrum band (see 2402230027), EchoStar said in an opposition filing posted Wednesday. SpaceX’s petition calls for a rulemaking proceeding on whether sharing the 2 Ghz band is possible while going from the premise that it can’t share the band with EchoStar’s existing mobile satellite service and 5G mobile advanced wireless service, EchoStar said. The FCC “should not begin such a futile and self-defeating rulemaking proceeding and should dismiss immediately the petition without placing it out for public comment,” it said. Entities that seek to operate in a portion of the spectrum others use for existing services must show they can share the band without harmful interference into the existing service, the filing said. SpaceX “fails to even try to make such a showing, and “effectively admits the only way to deal with harmful interference from its 2 GHz entry would be for EchoStar to accept that interference,” EchoStar said. Even starting a rulemaking on the SpaceX petition would “imperil” innovation in the 2Ghz band, the filing said. The FCC “should consider the chilling message that commencing such a proceeding would send to licensees: the signal that such consequences are thinkable.” SpaceX didn't comment.
An FCC rule requiring mobile service providers to "block texts purporting to be from" North American numbering plan numbers on a reasonable do not originate list that includes "numbers that purport to be from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers" takes effect Sept. 3, said a public notice Wednesday in docket 02-278. Commissioners adopted the item in March 2023 (see 2303170056).
Representatives of both companies met virtually with FCC staff on T-Mobile’s proposed acquisition of Mint Mobile (see 2303150032), a low-cost prepaid wireless brand, and other assets from Ka’ena. T-Mobile “provided an overview” of its “internal processes and business policies, including with respect to customer information and data management,” said a filing Tuesday in docket 23-171. The companies “emphasized that the applications have now been pending for eleven months, that no filings opposing the applications were submitted during the comment period, and that Team Telecom carefully reviewed the Applicants and the proposed transaction and filed its no-objection letter with the Commission over two months ago.” The filing references a presentation made at the meeting, which was redacted. Team Telecom refers to the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector.