Multiple personnel items that were added to the FCC's Thursday meeting agenda (see 2507170058) have been adopted and deleted, the agency said Wednesday.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
Verizon and UScellular urged the FCC to approve their proposed spectrum deal, as the regional carrier seeks to sell off most of its spectrum holdings. In a filing posted Wednesday in docket 25-192, they jointly responded to opponents of the transaction. Verizon agreed in October to buy UScellular’s 850 MHz, AWS and PCS licenses for $1 billion (see 2410180004), a deal various groups have opposed (see 2507080053).
The pole attachment item on the FCC's agenda Thursday is likely to be rewritten concerning the 60-day advance notice that attachers must provide utilities regarding midsize pole attachment orders, broadband infrastructure officials and experts tell us. In addition, we're told the draft order language about a 30-day timeline for utilities to approve attacher-proposed contractors could be moved to the item's Further NPRM. The pole attachment item -- a key part of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Build America Agenda, unveiled in June (see 2507020036) -- has seen heavy lobbying from attacher and electric utility interests (see 2507160024 and 507180026).
The Trump administration's AI action plan specifies a limited role for the FCC. Released Wednesday, the 28-page blueprint focuses on accelerating innovation, building infrastructure and leading the world in AI diplomacy and security. Its priority is eliminating barriers and allowing AI to flourish.
AT&T expects to see up to $8 billion in tax savings for 2025-2027 as a result of the recently enacted reconciliation package and will invest $3.5 billion of those savings in its network, the carrier said Wednesday as it reported Q2 results. AT&T also reported 401,000 postpaid phone net adds for the quarter, 243,000 AT&T Fiber net adds and 203,000 AT&T Internet Air adds.
The Senate confirmed Republican Arielle Roth as NTIA administrator Wednesday on a largely party-line 52-42 vote, as expected (see 2507160076). Senate Commerce Committee member John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat who joined Republicans in backing Roth, as he was when the panel advanced her in April (see 2504090037). The chamber invoked cloture on Roth last week 50-34 (see 2507170065). President Donald Trump nominated Roth, who was Senate Commerce Republicans’ telecom policy director, to the NTIA role in February (see 2502040056).
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the FCC’s top-four prohibition and its extension to low-power TV stations and multicast streams but upheld the agency’s other broadcast ownership rules in a unanimous three-judge decision Wednesday on the 2018 quadrennial review.
The FCC approved Skydance’s $8 billion purchase of Paramount Global in a 2-1 vote, said a release late Thursday. In a statement released with the order, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr praised Skydance for making written commitments “to ensure that the new company’s programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum” and “measures that can root out the bias that has undermined trust in the national news media.” Skydance has committed to not establishing diversity programs, hiring an ombudsman to evaluate bias at the company, and working closely with its network affiliates, said the FCC release. Commissioner Anna Gomez dissented from the order. “After months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted. Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price for its actions,” she said in her own statement. “In an unprecedented move, this once-independent FCC used its vast power to pressure Paramount to broker a private legal settlement and further erode press freedom,” Gomez said. “Even more alarming, it is now imposing never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment, in direct violation of the First Amendment and the law.” Despite condemning the arrangement, Gomez praised Carr for bringing the matter to a full commission vote. “Granting approval behind closed doors, under the cover of bureaucratic process, would have been an inappropriate way to shield this Administration’s coordinated campaign to censor speech, control narratives, and silence dissent.” According to the order, the news distortion proceeding against CBS stemming from a Center of American Rights (CAR) complaint remains open. “Our action today does not pre-judge or in any way prejudice any actions we may take in that proceeding,” the order said. “We note that the matter has not been set for hearing and CAR has not alleged that CBS or its parent are unfit to hold Commission licenses.” CAR instead asked the FCC to require CBS to release a transcript of its interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris and commit to viewpoint diversity, the order said. “CBS/Skydance has done both.”
Opponents of NAB’s petition for a mandatory transition to ATSC 3.0 pressed their case with aides to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty in a meeting last week, according to an ex parte filing Monday. The Consumer Technology Association, Public Knowledge, cable trade groups and the LPTV Broadcasters Association said the FCC shouldn’t require a nationwide shift to ATSC 3.0. “If broadcasters are concerned about market demand for ATSC 3.0 tuners, they need to do their part in consumer education and promotion rather than seeking a technology mandate,” said the filing. “Stakeholders representing all aspects of the television ecosystem do not support NAB’s proposal. This Administration has prioritized regulatory reduction, and it would be counterproductive to adopt new mandates that decrease flexibility and increase costs.”