The FCC unanimously approved its entire open meeting agenda Thursday, including an order making it easier for consumers to revoke consent for being robocalled, an order revising wireless mic rules (see 2402150037), an NPRM on a licensing framework for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing missions, and an NPRM seeking comment on using prerecorded script templates aimed at facilitating multilingual emergency alerts. “In the United States, over 26 million people have limited or no ability to speak English,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at the open meeting. “That means we have to get creative and identify new ways to reach everyone in a disaster.”
House Communications Subcommittee members were universally positive about the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhancing Networks Act (HR-1513) and four other communications network security bills during a Thursday hearing. House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and other lawmakers used the hearing to continue the drumbeat for Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion to close a funding shortfall for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, as expected (see 2402140055). Several Democrats touted the stopgap funding push for the FCC’s affordable connectivity program (see 2402130074) as another priority for securing U.S. networks.
Ligado will oppose Iridium's request to intervene in its L-band litigation against the U.S., the company said in an email to us. Iridium and aviation interests filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims last week joining the U.S. in opposing the suit (see 2402120009). Ligado said Iridium is a competitor, and DOD -- also a defendant in Ligado's suit -- is one of its largest sources of revenue. "Iridium is using its proposed participation to support a primary customer, shield itself from discovery, and benefit from the government’s taking of our property," Ligado said. "Contrary to the amicus curiae parties’ assertions, the bipartisan FCC unanimously authorized Ligado to operate terrestrial 5G services within our licensed spectrum after a rigorous, multiyear process," it said. "That April 2020 decision is final."
The full FCC proposed a $40,000 forfeiture for an alleged pirate radio broadcaster in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, said a notice of apparent liability released Wednesday. Brigido Danerys Gonzalez, using the DJ name “Super Dany,” allegedly broadcast an unauthorized station named La Bakana since at least May 2022, the NAL said. Enforcement Bureau agents found Gonzalez by tracing the station's signal to two buildings in Hazleton and interviewing a grocery store owner who paid Gonzalez to advertise on the station. Gonzalez didn’t comment.
Tribal broadband advocates discussed the potential significance of a proposal giving tribes access to lower 12 GHz spectrum in a call with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. Dish Network made the proposal (see 2309110061). The advocates noted the importance of conveying the licenses to tribal governments. “Because Tribal lands are held in trust, they cannot serve as collateral for loans,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-443. FCC licenses “are accepted by banks and other lending institutions as collateral,” the groups said: “Holding a license, not merely permission to use spectrum, is therefore not merely a matter of semantics or even a matter of Tribal sovereignty. Holding a license opens doors to needed capital to build the network.” Among those on the call were Public Knowledge, Tribal Broadband and the Open Technology Institute.
The Shortwave Modernization Coalition (SMC) filed a Roberson and Associates technical analysis at the FCC discussing the coalition’s proposal for amending the commission’s eligibility and technical rules for industrial/business pool licensees to authorize licensed use of frequencies above 2 MHz and below 25 MHz for fixed, long-distance, non-voice communications (see 2305010053). The proposal is controversial, especially among amateur operators (see 2308180033). The analysis shows the proposed use of this band “can be implemented without interfering with other users, and we look forward to engaging with federal stakeholders, other interested parties, and FCC staff to address any issues and move this matter forward,” said a filing posted Wednesday in RM-11953.
OMB approved various information collection requirements that are part of the FCC’s enhanced competition incentive program. Commissioners approved the program 4-0 in 2022 (see 2207140055). The requirements are now in effect, said a notice for Thursday’s Federal Register. Other parts of the rules took effect in October 2022 (see 2209190008).
The Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association urged the FCC to preserve the 4.9 GHz band for public safety, in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 07-100. The filing includes language similar to that in a recent Fraternal Order of Police filing (see 2402120028). “A fragmented, inconsistent approach, allowing varied uses based on location or licensee, has proven ineffective,” the fire chiefs' filing said: “For two decades, this has led to the band's chronic underutilization due to the absence of a unified strategy and economies of scale, stifling both usage and innovation.”
Witnesses set to testify during a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Thursday (see 2402090072) want lawmakers to consider longer-term initiatives for curbing China’s risk to U.S. communications networks. The push for Congress to allocate an additional $3.08 billion for the FCC’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2401240001) will likely receive attention during the hearing, as it has in other recent panels, lobbyists said. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.
Utility companies, ISPs and advocacy groups sparred over the FCC's proposed revisions to its pole attachment and replacement rules, in comments posted Wednesday in docket 17-84. The FCC should abandon its Further NPRM, adopted in December with a related order and declaratory ruling and instead encourage greater communication between pole owners and attackers, some said (see 2312130044). Others sought greater oversight of the process and urged quick action.