A draft Further NPRM that would seek comment on changes to how the rural healthcare program’s rates databases are calculated and to internal funding cap rules is expected to be unanimously approved during Friday’s FCC commissioners meeting, officials told us (see 2202040042). The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition suggested additional questions be added about whether the program’s overall cap should be raised and how the FCC should clarify the eligibility of broadband equipment, per a filing in docket 17-310. GCI Communications lobbied aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks in separate meetings, suggesting “several small additions … to reflect questions on the state of market competition,” per a filing last week. Unanimous approval is also expected for a draft order requiring Aureon to submit certain information the FCC Wireline Bureau would need to calculate refunds to its customers (see 2202150036).
The Feb. 23 virtual meeting of the FCC’s Communications Equity and Diversity Council will include remarks from Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, new Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer and discussion of the group’s workstreams, said an agenda released Wednesday. The agenda identifies the workstreams as involving the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “The workstreams will provide a roadmap for how each working group will support the Council’s mission” of increasing equity and diversity in the communications sphere, the agenda said.
National broadcasters said Tuesday they’re “wholly satisfied” that shuttered rebroadcaster Locast has transferred “all of its physical assets” and certain intellectual property and has paid the entirety of its remaining cash assets, as agreed in an October lawsuit settlement (see 2110280039). The satisfaction of judgment statement (docket 19-cv-7136) cites the original $32 million settlement figure rather than the lower $700,000 figure included in a confidential revised settlement (see 2201260056) that became a central issue in Democratic FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s stalled confirmation process. Senate Commerce Committee Republicans said last week after a second confirmation hearing for Sohn that the nominee still hasn't been sufficiently candid about whether she played a role as a board member for Locast operator Sports Fans Coalition in securing the revised settlement (see 2202090070). Locast, Sohn and broadcasters involved in the lawsuit didn’t comment. Senate IP Subcommittee ranking member Thom Tillis, R-N.C., urged his colleagues during a Tuesday floor speech to vote against Sohn, arguing she’s still “hiding relevant information” about the Locast settlement. If confirmed Sohn “would undermine public confidence in the FCC and our government,” Tillis said. “If this were any other nominee, especially a Republican nominee, any one of these issues would be enough for my colleagues on this side of the aisle to stand up and as the president of our party to withdraw the nominee.”
Global revenue from AI software, hardware and services is forecast to grow 19.6% year over year in 2022 to $432.8 billion, topping the $500 billion milestone in 2023, reported IDC Tuesday. AI is "the next major wave of innovation,” with advancements in language, voice and vision technologies “revolutionizing human efficiencies," said IDC analyst Ritu Jyoti. IDC projects AI software revenue will decline slightly in 2022, as spending for AI hardware and services grows more quickly. It forecast AI services will deliver the fastest spending expansion over the next five years with a 22% compound annual growth rate, compared with a 20.5% CAGR for AI hardware spending through 2026.
AT&T has done what it can and won’t delay shuttering its 3G network starting next week, Joan Marsh, AT&T executive vice president-federal regulatory relations, blogged Tuesday. “No network transition is easy,” she said: “We’ve undertaken extensive efforts to minimize the inconvenience for our customers and allow as seamless a transition as is possible. We will continue to remain focused on assisting customers through and past the 3G sunset date.” AT&T offered subscribers free and discounted phones to switch off 3G, created a dedicated transition webpage, certified more than 100 devices for use on AT&T’s 4G/5G network, provided more than $100 million in incentives for businesses to replace devices, and took other actions to ease the transition, she said. Less than 1% of AT&T traffic now runs on the 3G network, she said. “Three years ago, when we announced the 3G sunset, we gave notice to our business customers that then relied on 3G devices,” Marsh said: “We even gave notice in contracts years before that. And most of those companies have used this time effectively to migrate their devices. For example, ADT, one of the largest alarm companies, has publicly said it expects to have all its 3G devices upgraded before the February 22 sunset date.”
NAB didn't oppose Gigi Sohn's FCC nomination but raised concerns about her affiliation with streaming service Locast (see 2202100056).
House Commerce Committee leaders proposed the draft Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act and Secure Space Act Friday in a bid to revamp the FCC's low-earth orbit satellite licensing rules. STSA would require the FCC to issue “specific performance requirements” for satellite licensees to meet on space safety and orbital debris, including limits on the amount of debris a licensee releases “in a planned manner” and limits on the probability a space station will become a debris source, experience an accidental explosion or collide with another station. The measure would require the FCC to determine a satellite licensee’s operations won’t cause harmful interference with other licensees, won’t “diminish the efficiency” of other services’ spectrum use and won’t affect competition in the satellite space. Licenses granted under the measure would be required to share spectrum with other licensees and “coordinate in good faith with any other licensee of the spectrum band.” The Secure Space Act would bar the FCC from granting satellite licenses to any entity the FCC deems a national security risk under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. “American companies are at the forefront of developing and deploying broadband and other advanced communications services using satellite technologies, which is revolutionizing the communications marketplace as we know it,” said House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. “We must streamline our regulatory processes to usher in a new era of American innovation and investment in this growing sector, particularly as our economic competitors like China race to dominate this industry, and must ensure our laws and regulations fully protect the public.” The draft bills “are an important step towards developing a bipartisan solution,” the lawmakers said. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr swiftly praised the draft bills. "The final frontier is home to an emerging constellation of satellites that are offering high-speed Internet services," he said. "We need to ensure that America continues to attract the jobs and investments that flow from these innovative operations." The draft House Commerce bills "would strengthen America’s space-based leadership by further streamlining the licensing process and advancing the security of satellite systems," he said.
ISP associations challenging California’s net neutrality law will seek rehearing en banc at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said a Thursday stipulation by California and ACA Connects, CTIA, NCTA and USTelecom at the U.S. District Court for Eastern California. The parties agreed discovery at the lower court (case 2:18-cv-02684) should be stayed until the 9th Circuit rules on the rehearing petition. The appeals court last month upheld California’s law (see 2201280035).
NAB raised concerns and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council supported a Land Mobile Communications Council petition asking the FCC to modify its Part 90 rules on sharing of TV channels 14-20 with the T-band to reflect the changes that have occurred due to the DTV transition. Comments were posted Thursday in RM-11915. The T-band is shared with public safety and gets the most use in major cities, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Washington, D.C. “The changes LMCC proposes could have the practical effect of increasing instances of harmful interference between television stations and land mobile operations in the T-band by allowing television stations and land mobile operations to operate in closer proximity to one another,” NAB said. It noted “occasional complaints concerning interference issues between television stations and T-band land mobile operators under the existing rules, including from LMCC itself.” NPSTC said “time is ripe” to update the rules. “The Commission is fortunate that the LMCC has done so much of the work required to initiate the rulemaking proceeding it has requested,” NPSTC said: “The LMCC petition is comprehensive and includes the background leading to the request, specific recommended changes to the rules, and the rationale for the recommendations provided. The petition even provides a succinct summary on the history of the T-Band spectrum sharing that began in the 1970s. This summary should be helpful as well in crafting the NPRM.” Los Angeles County noted the rules were last updated in the 1990s. “Experience gained from (1) combating interference from DTV operations (new since original rules were adopted), (2) the transition of some [land-mobile radio] systems from analog to digital (which is a continuing process), and (3) the lack of vacant channel options due to channel repacking -- all mandate that the Commission revisit equipment performance assumptions made over two decades ago,” the county said. Issue an NPRM “at the earliest opportunity,” urged the Enterprise Wireless Alliance: T-Band applicants “must comply with a rule that protects television station contours as though they still were operating in NTSC [National Television System Committee] format even though they are required to operate in ATSC [Advanced Television Systems Committee] format. In the interim, television stations are receiving greater than necessary protection while, conversely, affected land mobile systems are not able to derive maximum use of T-Band spectrum.”
GlobalFoundries estimates the current “shortfall” in semiconductor industry supply is in the mid- to high-single digits, based on industry-wide capacity of about 15 million wafers a year, said CEO Tom Caulfield on a Q4 earnings call Tuesday. GF completed its initial public offering in early November (see 2111020003). Industry supply capacity is projected to grow about 4% globally in the next five years, based on “announced fab expansions,” including fabs being tooled or those under construction, said Caulfield. Excluding China-based foundries, the five-year growth projection drops to 2.5%, he said.