AT&T opted to file in opposition to North East Offshore’s request for an FCC waiver of the freeze on nonfederal applications for new or expanded Part 90 operations in the lower 3 GHz band even though the wind farm company has dropped the request (see 2408010039). North East’s request “touches on broader issues that merit addressing on the record,” a filing posted Tuesday in docket 24-212 said. The lower 3 GHz band is “an incredibly important piece of the National Spectrum Strategy and the Commission should not be issuing new authorizations that would complicate the reallocation of that band for future mobile broadband services,” AT&T said. The waiver request also raises “complex questions about the Commission’s licensing jurisdiction and potential offshore uses of spectrum that are most appropriately addressed in the Commission’s broader inquiry on the subject,” AT&T said. The FCC sought comment in 2022 on the offshore use of spectrum (see 2209020052).
CTIA representatives told staff from the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau that new rules for robotexting aren't needed. Developed in an ongoing proceeding, the record “shows that the wireless ecosystem’s efforts to combat spam and scam text messages are working, as evidenced by the significant drop in consumer complaints reported over the last few years,” a filing made Monday in docket 21-402 said. “While some advocates for non-consumer message senders recognize the importance of strong blocking and other policies that protect consumers from receiving messaging content they do not want, their requests for the FCC to restrict current spam-prevention efforts are factually inaccurate and legally insufficient,” CTIA said.
C3Spectra, which hopes to join the list of companies operating an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system that manages access to the 6 GHz band, notified the FCC that its system will be available for public trial beginning Aug. 20. The test portal will close Oct. 4, the company said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-352.
CTIA asked for FCC clarity on the agency’s latest broadband data collection order, released July 12. The item created “a pathway” for restoring fixed locations previously removed from the BDC maps, CTIA said. “While the best reading of the text is that use of the restoration process established in the Declaratory Ruling is optional, there is some uncertainty,” a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195 said: “CTIA encourages the Commission to promptly clarify that the restoration process -- in particular, the use of infrastructure information outlined in the Data Specifications to restore locations or areas -- is not mandatory.”
The FCC initiated the disaster information reporting system (DIRS) for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Ernesto makes landfall, a public notice said Tuesday. Additionally, it activated the mandatory disaster response initiative (MDRI) for facilities-based mobile wireless providers in the affected area, which requires companies to allow reasonable roaming and cooperate in service restoration during disasters. The FCC also issued public notices on priority communications services and emergency communications procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority. The Public Safety Bureau issued a reminder for entities clearing debris and repairing utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.
The FCC’s Communications, Equity and Diversity Council may lobby for affordable connectivity program funding, according to comments at Tuesday’s CEDC meeting, the second under a new charter that lasts until 2025. The CEDC has 10 months to prepare recommendations for the FCC on implementing digital discrimination rules and getting the most for underserved communities out of federal broadband infrastructure funding, Chair Heather Gate said. “We must make recommendations to the FCC directly, but we should not be afraid to make recommendations that the FCC can communicate with other agencies,” Gate said. “We may also ask the FCC to communicate our recommendations with the White House or Congress."
SpaceX is facing opposition from wireless and satellite entities over its requested waiver that would allow relaxed out-of-band power flux density limits for the company's proposed supplemental coverage from space service, according to docket 23-135 filings Tuesday. In its June waiver request, SpaceX said its proposed PFD limits would protect adjacent band networks from interference while avoiding too-restrictive limits. Separately, Omnispace petitioned the FCC, urging denial of SpaceX's pending request to add the 340-360 kilometer altitude shells as a deployment option for its SCS service (see 2406210006).
Seeking to invalidate New York’s Affordable Broadband Act, ISP groups asked that the U.S. Supreme Court review a 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 2-1 ruling that federal statute doesn't preempt the state law. However, SCOTUS should wait until lower courts finish reviewing the FCC’s net neutrality order, CTIA, NTCA, USTelecom, ACA Connects, the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and the New York State Telecommunications Association said in a petition for a writ of certiorari Monday.
Opponents of giving the FirstNet Authority effective control of the 4.9 GHz band, as promoted by AT&T and the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA), have been at the FCC repeatedly in recent weeks, driven in part by rumors that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel may support that plan. But industry officials say how the FCC will come down remains uncertain. With Commissioner Anna Gomez expected to recuse herself, because of work before she joined the commission, Rosenworcel will likely need support from at least one Republican commissioner.
The FCC "must point to clear congressional authorization" before claiming it can reclassify broadband as a Title II telecom service under the Communications Act, a coalition of industry groups told the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in its challenge of the commission's net neutrality rules. The court granted a temporary stay of the rules earlier this month (see 2408010066). The petitioners -- ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA, USTelecom, the Wireless ISP Association and several state telecom associations -- said in their opening brief filed late Monday (docket 24-7000) that the "best reading of the federal communications laws forecloses the commission’s reclassification."