The FCC Wireline Bureau suspended “indefinitely” deadlines to file public comments and reply comments on a Talton petition seeking a waiver of the commission’s rules capping the rates for audio and video for incarcerated people provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The suspension came after the United Church of Christ (UCC) Media Justice Ministry protested Talton’s failure to provide data that the ministry needs to comment on the petition (see 2505020024).
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau this week released the telecom relay service (TRS) funding and payment formulas for the program year beginning July 1. The report is based on numbers calculated by TRS administrator Rolka Loube Associates. The rates listed for the next program year are $6.1229 per minute for traditional TRS (TTY), $7.2539 for speech-to-speech service, and $2.7867 for captioned telephone service. All the rates have increased sharply since the 2020-21 program year, led by TTY, which is up 63.2%, the report said.
USTelecom urged the FCC to reject an April filing that sought an “immediate halt” of four Wireline Bureau orders released in March whose goal was to quicken copper retirements (see 2503200056). Filing as the Irregulators, LTC Consulting and X-labs said the bureau shouldn’t be allowed to issue the order on delegated authority without commission debate or public comment.
The House China Committee urged the FCC on Wednesday to add Chinese company Unitree Robotics to its covered entities list to block its equipment’s use on U.S. telecom infrastructure. Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and other panel members cited Unitree’s “well-documented ties to [China’s People’s Liberation Army]-affiliated institutions and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entities. Reporting indicates that Unitree has participated in military-civil fusion programs, received [Chinese] state funding, contributed to defense research, and produces robotic systems with clear military utility -- including autonomous mobility, surveillance, and payload capabilities.”
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
The FCC’s recent pressure campaign against broadcast networks continued this week as Commissioner Nathan Simington blasted ABC and American Idol for hiring Lin-Manuel Miranda. Meanwhile, a group of nine Senate Democratic caucus members pressed Paramount Global not to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against CBS over 60 Minutes’ October 2024 interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was then the Democrats’ presidential nominee (see 2411010044).
The importance of AI and other new technology to wireless industry growth and success was a major topic at this week’s CTIA 5G Summit. Other discussions centered on the need for more high-power licensed spectrum in the U.S. and the threat from China (see 2505060036).
Arguments that employment and labor concerns aren't germane to Skydance Media's pending acquisition of Paramount Global and shouldn't be considered by the FCC aren't correct, according to Fuse Media and Teamsters Local 399. In a docket 24-275 filing posted Tuesday to recap a meeting with FCC Media Bureau and Office of General Counsel staffers, Fuse and the union said the transaction directly ties to likely job cuts at New Paramount, including at stations owned and operated by CBS. Station staffing can affect a licensee's ability to uphold the localism part of the public interest standard, they said. Fuse and the union suggested a station-level staffing requirement that would keep full-time employment stable for eight years. It also would bar New Paramount from consolidating operations across stations or outsourcing work previously done by full-time staffers.
A spike in unlawful robocalls since January might be due to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals striking down part of the FCC's 2023 robocall and robotext order (see 2501240067), Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawyer Eric Troutman of Troutman Amin wrote Tuesday. Illegal robocalls are at their highest level to start the year since 2019, after a significant decline in 2024, Troutman said. "Just a massive (and sudden) turn around," he said. "The bad actors out there are plainly winning," meaning "heavy-handed (and misguided) action from Congress or the regulators" is coming. The increase in unlawful robocalls eliminates any hope of tort reform to rein in "the insane number of frivolous TCPA suits against small businesses."
EchoStar, parent of Dish Wireless, filed at the FCC on Tuesday a list of cellsites where it offers 5G. EchoStar redacted the entire list and asked for confidential treatment. The report demonstrates that EchoStar has satisfied a commitment to the FCC to deploy at least 24,000 5G sites by June 14, said the filing in docket 22-212.