Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday amplified a social media post from Gavin Wax, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington’s chief of staff, on improving American manufacturing and competing with China. “Important point by Gavin,” Vance wrote in support of Wax's post about making American-made tech products competitive globally. Vance chiming in to support Wax is the latest example of prominent figures connected with President Donald Trump’s administration weighing in on issues raised by Simington and Wax since the latter joined Simington’s staff late last month. Since then, the two have authored a string of co-bylined articles on mostly FCC-centric topics that nevertheless are drawing attention from powerful Republicans. Trump himself reposted Simington and Wax’s article on broadcasting network affiliate fees (see 2505020066), and Simington recently appeared on the shows of former lawmaker Matt Gaetz and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon to discuss his articles with Wax.
States opposing the FCC’s July order implementing the Martha Wright-Reed Act of 2022 have shifted gears in part to challenge whether FCC decision-making is legitimate because of the false premise that the regulator is an independent agency. The order, which reduces calling rates for people in prisons while establishing interim rate caps for video calls (see 2407180039), is under appeal in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (24-8028).
As greater numbers of satellites are launched, the FCC is making progress trimming its backlog of satellite and earth station applications, FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz said Tuesday as the Satellite Industry Association released its 2025 state of the satellite industry report. A record 11,539 operational satellites were in orbit as of the end of 2024, up more than 1,900 from year-end 2023, SIA said.
SpaceX could be the biggest beneficiary as the FCC takes a hard look at EchoStar's compliance with milestones attached to its 5G network buildout. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's inquiry into EchoStar's compliance with buildout deadlines (see 2505120074) "clearly originate[s]" from SpaceX, LightShed Partners' Walt Piecyk wrote Tuesday. He said the FCC probe appears to be particularly focused on EchoStar's use of the S band -- spectrum real estate that SpaceX wants.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas is holding off on publicly endorsing or opposing the House Commerce Committee's reconciliation package spectrum proposal (see 2505120058), but he and some other fellow panel Republicans are already looking at potential changes if it emerges from the lower chamber as currently written. House Commerce hadn't yet tackled the reconciliation measure’s spectrum language Tuesday afternoon as panel members traded barbs about the legislation’s proposed Medicaid cuts.
Fox Corp.'s Fox One streaming service will launch by early September, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said Monday. In a call with analysts as Fox announced its quarterly financial results, Murdoch avoided specifics on price but said Fox One wouldn't be discounted, and the cost would be in line with what Fox charges for its content wholesale. He said the aim is to avoid cannibalizing its cable audience for Fox One. Asked about the cap on fees that broadcast affiliates pay networks proposed by FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington (see 2505020066), Murdoch said the affiliate/network relationship was "healthy" and negotiations should be left to the marketplace.
The FCC Media Bureau gave broadcasters a one-year extension on the audible crawl waiver in an order Monday. The audible crawl rule requires broadcasters to provide an audio version of on-screen graphically displayed emergency information, but the FCC has repeatedly waived it since 2015 (see 2412300029). The current waiver was set to expire May 27, but the new order extends it to May 27, 2026. NAB had requested an 18-month waiver extension and has also petitioned the FCC to make it easier for broadcasters to satisfy the audible crawl requirement. Last year, the FCC allowed the waiver to briefly lapse, which caused some TV broadcasters to cease showing weather radar maps in case it was seen as a rule violation (see 2411290007).
The North American Numbering Council (NANC) will meet at 2 p.m. June 24 at FCC headquarters, the Wireline Bureau said Monday. The agenda includes votes on reports and recommendations by the numbering administration oversight working group, including performance reviews for the North American numbering plan administrator, reassigned numbers database administrator and North American numbering plan billing and collection agent.
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."