The FCC Wireline Bureau on Wednesday asked for a record refresh following up on a March 2020 NPRM (see 2003310039). Comment deadlines will come in a Federal Register notice. The bureau also asked whether “any market consolidation affected parties’ positions on the questions in the Notice,” which is part of the FCC’s efforts to “eliminate outdated and unnecessary regulations.”
NTIA and State Department representatives met with FCC staff to talk about tweaking the language regarding international waters in the commission's open proceeding on rewriting submarine cable rules. In a docket 24-524 filing posted Wednesday, NTIA said State clarified the language that it recommended instead of "international waters," since that isn't a term that has meaning under the international law of the sea. The FCC adopted the subsea cable NPRM unanimously in November (see 2411210006).
The FCC Office of Managing Director announced that the proposed universal service contribution factor for Q3 2025 will be 0.360, or 36%. That’s slightly higher than analyst Billy Jack Gregg's projection of 35% (see 2505060009). The proposed rate is based on overall demand of $2.2 billion, with a contribution requirement of $2.1 billion.
Comments are due July 9, replies July 24, regarding the 2,000-plus docketed proceedings that the FCC wants to terminate as dormant, according to a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice (docket 25-165) in Wednesday's Daily Digest. The agency last month said the effort represented the largest number of dormant dockets it has ever sought to eliminate at one time (see 2505020063).
Former FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington is criticizing the agency's EchoStar probes as having the potential to be "seriously market-disruptive, and even to impair American national security." He wrote this week that the threat EchoStar faces of numerous spectrum license revocations "places every holder of a spectrum license in a riskier position and will raise consumer prices by forcing every licensee, not just EchoStar, to charge higher risk premiums." The commission is probing whether EchoStar is using the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite service consistent with its authorizations, while it also seeks comment on VTel Wireless' recon petition on an extension of EchoStar's 5G network buildout deadlines (see 2505130003). Given that EchoStar has claimed to meet its 5G network buildout commitments, "moving to threaten its licenses seems extremely market-disruptive out of proportion to any claimed offense," Simington said.
Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.
The FCC should “act to restore public trust in those who use public airwaves” in the wake of an ABC News journalist publicly criticizing President Donald Trump (see 2506090054), the Center for American Rights said Tuesday in a letter to Chairman Brendan Carr. ABC reportedly released correspondent Terry Moran after he described Trump as a "world-class hater" and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as one in a social media post.
Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan said he remains worried about what the U.S. Supreme Court will decide on the USF's constitutionality, though he also expressed optimism that the program will survive the Consumers' Research challenge (see 2504140039). Donovan spoke during a Free State Foundation webcast this week, hosted by former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed cloture Thursday night on Republican FCC nominee Olivia Trusty, setting up potential floor votes on her confirmation next week. Thune sought cloture on Trusty's nomination to two terms -- one to finish out that of former Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, which ends June 30, and a subsequent full five-year term. Thune and other Senate Republicans have seen greater urgency to prioritize Trusty's confirmation after GOP Commissioner Nathan Simington resigned last week, shifting the commission to a 1-1 tie and leaving it without a quorum.
The European Commission has signed off on SES' purchase of Intelsat without conditions. The satellite communications and broadcast delivery markets have other "credible competitors" that will exert "sufficient competitive pressure" on the newly combined company, it said. The new entity will also face fiber and low earth orbit satellite competition and won't be able to foreclose downstream competitors by restricting access to its satellite capacity, the commission added. Transfer of Intelsat's FCC licenses to SES is still pending at the agency.