AT&T became the latest carrier to reassure FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that it's moving away from any trace of diversity, equity and inclusion in its hiring and other practices. Verizon and T-Mobile previously made similar promises to win favor with the FCC and approval of transactions before the agency. Commissioner Anna Gomez warned AT&T that appeasing President Donald Trump's administration carries reputational risks.
In what is seen as the final word, the ITU announced Monday that the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) and Radiocommunication Assembly will take place in Shanghai from Oct. 11 to Nov. 12, 2027. U.S. interests had tried to reverse that decision (see 2507010062). More than 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the meetings, ITU said.
Recon Analytics is finding that the frequency with which consumers access and use AI is tied to how they get online, analyst Roger Entner said last week during a Fiber Broadband Association webinar. Among consumers who use satellite or DSL, only about 10% use AI on a daily basis, compared to 28% for fixed wireless access, 32% for cable and 45% for fiber, he said.
Major providers are using their fixed-wireless access offerings to expand the reach of their networks faster than they can build a wired connection, even in markets where they already have fiber, Mike Dano, lead industry analyst at Ookla, said during a Senza Fili podcast Wednesday. Dano cited as an example AT&T targeting neighborhoods where it doesn’t already have fiber, such as in Houston, one of the country’s fastest growing markets. Dano spoke with analyst Monica Paolini.
The outlook for the citizens broadband radio service band appears uncertain, with some wireless carriers looking at the spectrum for full-powered licensed use and CBRS advocates defending it as an important band for sharing and unlicensed use. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has had little to say about CBRS since he took over the helm at the commission.
Children’s Health Defense (CHD) urged the FCC to back off its review of how the commission can further reduce wireless red tape and instead address the Environmental Health Trust’s August RF safety petition (see 2508070032). The group's filing came as the FCC is hit with hundreds of submissions -- ahead of any comment deadline -- opposing changes in a wireless infrastructure NPRM that commissioners approved at September's meeting.
The FCC on Tuesday released the three items teed up for commissioner votes at the next meeting Dec. 18, led by another FCC attack on illegal robocalls and unsecure networks, possibly with Chinese ties. Commissioners will also take up low-power TV (LPTV) and TV translator rules. The December agenda is much lighter than those in recent months (see 2511240045).
The two major differences between the draft and final versions of the FCC's NPRM on rules for an upper C-band auction were questions about a potential tribal window for the spectrum and about future satellite and other uses. Commissioners approved the notice 3-0 at Thursday's meeting (see 2511200046), where the changes were discussed. The final NPRM was posted in Monday’s Daily Digest.
FCC General Counsel Adam Candeub faced some tough questions as he defended the agency's order establishing a regime that's designed to promote use of the 4.9 GHz band by giving the FirstNet Authority access to the spectrum (see 2509160005). A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard oral argument Monday.
The FCC on Friday released the text of an order overturning a January ruling and NPRM addressing the Salt Typhoon cyberattacks, which were approved during the final days of the Biden administration. The reversal order was approved 2-1 Thursday, with Commissioner Anna Gomez dissenting (see 2511200047). It found that the January ruling was “an unlawful and ineffective attempt to show that the agency was taking some type of action on cybersecurity issues.”