The Voice on the Net Coalition told the FCC that it backs the use of Stir/Shaken to counter robocalls and robotexts but has concerns about know-your-customer (KYC) obligations “and the potential for significant fines for violations of what is obviously a vague standard.” These obligations shouldn't be “defined through enforcement actions,” VON said in a filing posted Monday (docket 17-59).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr reportedly opened an investigation into EchoStar's compliance with 5G buildout obligations connected to its spectrum licenses and directed FCC staff to seek comment on reconsidering a 2019 extension of buildout deadlines. In a letter published Monday by The Wall Street Journal, Carr said EchoStar has repeatedly failed to meet the buildout requirements associated with its spectrum licenses in the lower 700 MHz E block, the H block and the 600 MHz band. "That history is relevant today. Currently before the FCC are filings from EchoStar that claim to satisfy the bureau’s new December 2024 buildout obligation. But questions remain regarding these submissions," Carr wrote. Failure by EchoStar to meet its new buildout requirements "could result in the loss of its spectrum licenses and significant financial payments." Carr also condemned the 2019 extension as the result of negotiations behind closed doors, saying the extension allowed EchoStar to "kick the can down the road." The letter also said the FCC would issue a public notice "seeking comment on the scope and scale of [mobile satellite service] utilization in the 2 GHz band that is currently licensed to EchoStar or its affiliates."
Tarana Wireless CEO Basil Alwan and other company officials met with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington about the importance of the citizens broadband radio service band. “Tarana emphasized the critical role that CBRS plays in expanding broadband access -- particularly in underserved and rural communities -- by enabling flexible, affordable, and spectrum-efficient fixed wireless deployments,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 17-258. “Tarana’s technology, when paired with CBRS spectrum, provides fiber-class performance without the need for trenching or costly infrastructure, significantly accelerating deployment timelines.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce appeared to oppose NextNav’s proposal to use the lower 900 MHz band to provide positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) as a GPS alternative. The commission “should focus on solutions that have been established [to] not adversely impact existing spectrum users,” the chamber said in comments posted Monday in docket 25-110. It cited concerns raised by the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association (see 2504290042).
USTelecom urged OMB to ease permitting for broadband deployment on federal lands and loosen requirements for the BEAD program, in comments filed Monday in response to OMB’s April request for information on deregulation opportunities. Permitting processes “are the single most time-consuming aspect of a broadband build and create unnecessary delays,” USTelecom said. OMB should work with other federal agencies to create uniform categories, so such permits would be deemed granted if they satisfy consistent conditions, such as when permits are sought for previously disturbed land. “Requiring further review for previously disturbed or analyzed areas simply squanders the resources of government and businesses, while needlessly driving up costs and delaying broadband deployment."
Keep the 25-year licensing term for submarine cable systems, and don't extend licensing requirements to non-owners such as cable capacity lessees, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the FCC Monday in docket 24-523. It said subsea cable licensees need a clearly established process for license revocation, and the agency should make clear that new cable landing license regulations won't retroactively apply to existing licenses.
NCTA representatives downplayed USTelecom's objections to new rules on pole attachments in a meeting with FCC Wireline Bureau staff (see 2504220015). USTelecom's claims are “either factually inaccurate and/or incorrect,” cablers said. Representatives of NCTA, Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Enterprises attended the meeting.
Given White House efforts to bring independent agencies under its control, it may be time to reconsider the FCC's structure, Free State Foundation President Randolph May wrote Monday. President Donald Trump's firing of two Democratic FTC commissioners and a Democratic National Labor Relations Board member is being challenged in court and likely will be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, he said. If SCOTUS sides with the White House, Congress might want to change the FCC's structure and functions "to better comport with what may be the new constitutional reality" of previously independent agencies now under substantial executive branch control, May said. One potential option he cited would be to split FCC functions, with policymaking done by a single official in the executive branch, potentially in NTIA, and a multi-member commission retaining responsibility for holding adjudications and enforcement proceedings. That quasi-judicial function should help keep the commissioners insulated from executive branch interference, he said.
The FCC circulated an item on its FY 2025 regulatory fees to 10th floor offices last week, according to the agency's circulation webpage. Regulatory fees are typically due in September. In February, the FCC released a Further NPRM on the process of determining space regulatory fees, and Chairman Brendan Carr has said he wants changes made to the agency's regulatory fee assessment process. In 2024, broadcasters and satellite operators were vocal about hikes in regulatory fees connected with the creation of the Space Bureau (see 2407160049). Also last week, Commissioner Nathan Simington proposed shifting some Media Bureau staff to the Space Bureau, which could affect the regulatory fees paid by the companies those bureaus oversee (see 2505090068).
The actions of independent regulatory commissions, including the FCC, are now being reviewed by the White House via OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and its procedures. Former OIRA leaders and other observers said in interviews that the new procedures may not result in substantial revisions of rulemakings by agencies answering directly to President Donald Trump, but they could slow adoption and implementation. In February, Trump ordered the commissions to submit proposed regulatory actions to OIRA before they appear in the Federal Register (see 2502180069). That took effect April 21, according to interim OMB guidance last month.