Former FCC Chairman Charles Ferris, 90, died Feb. 16 at his Chevy Chase, Maryland, home, following a brief illness. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Ferris led the FCC from 1977 to 1981. Under his leadership, the agency eased restrictions on telephone equipment, broadcasting, cable and satellite. Those changes are credited with bringing more minorities and women into broadcast station ownership. "Chairman Ferris helped reshape the communications marketplace by allowing AT&T to use computers in its networks, removing rate regulation on telephone equipment, and supporting the growth of cable television," Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said. "Consumers still benefit from his foresight today." Prior to the FCC, Ferris worked on Capitol Hill, including as chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, D-Mont., and to House Speaker Tip O’Neill, D-Mass. He also served as general counsel and staff director of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. After leaving the FCC, he became a partner at Mintz, heading the Washington, D.C., office and served on Cablevision’s board. He retired in 2013. Survivors include his daughters, Caroline and Sabrina. Donations may be made to the World Ocean School or the Women's Coalition of St. Croix.
SpaceX's request that applications in 2 GHz band be held in abeyance during any 2 GHz rulemaking, as well as the proposed rulemaking itself (see [Re:2402230027]), should be rejected, EchoStar told the FCC Space Bureau this week. SpaceX hasn't offered any basis for stopping action on applications in the 2 GHz band, while such a hold would be "extraordinarily burdensome," EchoStar said. It added that a proceeding allowing SpaceX into the 2 GHz band would mean "annihilation of all current uses of the band through harmful interference." In addition, EchoStar said SpaceX's presence also "would imperil" EchoStar efforts in the band such as direct-to-device services.
Any opening of the 17 GHz band to non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite operations should come with interference protections, DirecTV and EchoStar said. In a meeting with FCC Space Bureau staffers recapped Wednesday in docket 22-273, the geostationary orbit operators urged revised footnotes in the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations requiring that NGSO fixed satellite service operations in the 17 GHz band not claim interference protections from geostationary orbit (GSO) FSS networks. They also called for requirements that those NGSO operations not cause interference to or claim protection from GSO FSS and broadcast satellite service networks. The two pushed for the same equivalent power flux density limits applicable to NGSO FSS downlinks and inter-satellite links in the 17.8-18.6 GHz band being extended to those links in the 17 GHz band.
Lawmakers should examine AI's implications, ensuring it doesn’t threaten broadcast journalism by spreading misinformation or using copyrighted content without compensation, NAB said Tuesday in a policy agenda for the 118th Congress. “The improper use of artificial intelligence poses novel threats to broadcasting’s unique and indispensable role in American life,” the agenda said. “The lack of attribution and sourcing in AI-generated outputs could undermine trust in broadcasters.” For example, the growing use of AI increases the likelihood that copyrighted broadcast content is ingested and mixed with “unverified and inaccurate third-party content.” In addition, AI-generated deepfakes created to look like broadcast talent could be used to spread misinformation, the agenda said. That can lead to broadcasters devoting more money and resources to fight disinformation, while AI cannibalizes their content without compensation, the agenda said. “Congress should closely evaluate how to harness the power of AI, while ensuring new technologies do not threaten the trusted local journalism broadcasters provide.” On Wednesday, NAB issued a news release announcing that it would open the NAB Show 2024 with a presentation on audience perspectives on AI's use in broadcast media and including an AI-powered humanoid robot. The policy agenda also called for lawmakers to address several longtime NAB causes: require AM radio in cars, prevent a performance tax on radio broadcasters, and allow broadcasters to jointly negotiate with tech companies about the use of their content. Lawmakers should also encourage the FCC to refresh the record on virtual MVPDs and to maintain “a reasonable, flexible framework” for ATSC 3.0 deployment, the policy agenda said.
A coalition of nearly 70 broadband experts, ISPs, community leaders and nonprofit organizations urged the FCC to grant a "brief amnesty period" for certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and Connect America Fund II areas in a letter Wednesday (see 2308170049). Among those signing the letter were the American Association for Public Broadband, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Communications Workers of America and Connect Humanity. The coalition warned that large and rural areas intended to be connected through both programs "will remain disconnected due to the inability or unwillingness of ISPs to fulfill their obligations." In addition, the group said areas that will be served through either program aren't eligible for support through NTIA's broadband, equity, access, and deployment program. "Unfortunately, there are a large number of census blocks throughout the country where RDOF and CAF II awardees have not even begun to build their networks for a variety of reasons," the letter said. An amnesty will let states include these communities on their maps because of "unfulfilled RDOF and CAF II commitments," the group argued. The letter noted it's "entirely in the commission's power to ensure that large swaths of rural America are not left out."
The NARUC board accepted a telecom resolution about keeping phone number exhaustion at bay during its Washington meeting Wednesday. NARUC will ask the FCC to update “guidance on how states should bring cases of telephone number resource mismanagement or suspected robocalling using rented telephone numbers” through audits under Section 52.15(k) of the Telecom Act, said the final resolution from Telecom Committee Chair Tim Schram. The resolution drew no opposition in the committee Monday (see 2402260071).
The Enterprise Wireless Alliance refiled a 2022 petition for rulemaking at the FCC that seeks to modify Part 90 rules to eliminate the assignment of frequencies within the 809-816/854-861 MHz portion of the band to specific pools of eligible entities (see 2210260079). EWA said it resubmitted the petition at the Wireless Bureau's request, and it now includes “proposed rules consistent with the rule changes requested.” Because “all 800 MHz frequencies in this range are subject to identical technical and operational rules, EWA urges that they be classified as General Category and made available to all qualified Subpart S applicants,” says the undocketed filing.
Air Voice Wireless agreed to pay a $150,000 fine and implement enhanced compliance measures to settle an FCC investigation of whether the company failed to provide Lifeline services to all qualifying low-income consumers in keeping with agency rules. “This action will help further the Commission’s goal of providing qualified consumers opportunities and security that essential communications service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family members, and emergency services,” the Enforcement Bureau said Wednesday.
The National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) stressed the importance of protection for passive scientific use of the 24 GHz band, in comments responding to an NPRM commissioners approved 3-2 in December, over dissents by Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington (see 2312260043). The NPRM seeks to align rules for the band with decisions made at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019. Comments were filed this week in docket 21-186. “Observations made by Earth Exploration Satellite Service sensors provide unique data regarding the state of the Earth System, and especially its atmosphere at a given moment in time, which, by their very nature, cannot be reproduced or replicated,” CORF said: “The observation frequencies cannot be modified, because they are largely determined by the physical characteristics of what needs to be observed, for example, specific water vapor lines are the result of the molecular properties of water.” The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society also stressed the importance of controlling potential levels of contamination from out-of-band-emissions to passive operations in the band. AT&T said the FCC should implement Resolution 750, which the WRC adopted. “The leadership of the United States at WRC-19 resulted in limits that will fully protect passive operations in the 23.6-24.0 GHz band from unwanted emissions from [upper microwave flexible use service] networks in the 24.25-27.5 GHz bands, without unnecessary measures that would impact the roll-out of 5G mobile services,” AT&T said. GuRu Wireless, which is developing a system for wireless power transfer at a distance in the band, counseled caution. “While ostensibly limited in scope to the adoption of the WRC-19 decision, the NPRM here seeks comment on additional issues, such as the adoption of emission limits that are more stringent than the Resolution 750 limits,” GuRu said: “The Commission should avoid regulatory overreach and not expand its initial proposal by making any modifications to emission limits unrelated to UMFUS operations.”
CTIA representatives weighed in on the FCC’s proposed net neutrality rules, arguing in a call with staff from several offices and bureaus that the internet is already “fast, open, and fair due in significant part to the light-touch Title I regulatory framework.” In addition, CTIA raised concerns about the effect on network slicing (see 2401310046). “Proposals to narrow or restrict” non-broadband internet access service data services “would deny the benefits of new technology such as network slicing to broadband users, unduly limit wireless innovation, and undermine American leadership in the mobile economy,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 23-320. “Network slicing will allow wireless providers to offer over a single physical network a series of logically defined virtual networks configured to satisfy use cases currently under development that may include, for example, public safety communications, robotic surgery, smart grids, and communications at crowded events,” CTIA said.