Matt Daneman

Numerous ISPs believe the affordable connectivity program's demise would give them a chance to snag subscribers from competitors. In earnings calls with analysts this quarter, many cable companies and telcos also told Wall Street they don't expect to take major hits to their subscriber base if the program ends (see 2311160076). The FCC said Monday that ACP funding will run out before the end of May (see 2403040077).

The 2023 nationwide launch of EchoStar's Boost Infinite postpaid mobile service has stumbled, CEO Hamid Akhavan said Friday. In an earnings call -- the first since EchoStar acquired Dish Network (see 2401020003) -- Akhavan said the company is looking at assets, including its spectrum holdings, to raise funds to meet a major debt obligation this fall. EchoStar announced Q4 2023 results after the market's close Thursday.

Some foreign space regulators might soon struggle with a lack of space expertise, according to Scott Pace, George Washington University director-Space Policy Institute. During an FCC Space Bureau open house Thursday covering orbital debris, Pace said a lot of space agencies are born from telecom ministries, yet often there is a "thinness" to their capacity for space issues. That makes the U.S.' leadership role in space increasingly important, Pace said.

Multichannel video programming distributors and broadcasters disagree on the FCC's proposed requirement of mandatory reporting of channel blackouts due to failed retransmission consent talks. MVPDs back the requirement, while broadcasters oppose it, according to docket 23-427 comments this week. The commissioners adopted the blackout reporting NPRM in December (see 2312210061).

SpaceX likely faces a tough challenge as it seeks easier access to the 2 GHz and 1.6/2.4 GHz spectrum bands, spectrum experts tell us. In a pair of FCC petitions last week, the company argued that in both cases the spectrum is underused and urged changes in the licensing and sharing frameworks to allow new entrants and coexistence.

Commerce would take "a go-slow, cautious" regulatory approach if given oversight of novel space missions, as proposed in the White House's novel space activities framework (see 2402210036), according to Glenn Tallia, NOAA weather, satellites and research section chief. Speaking Thursday at the FAA’s annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, he promised a "light-touch," noting concerns that regulation could chill innovation or investment. FCC Space Bureau special counsel Karl Kensinger said the policy proposal leaves the agency's authority largely unaffected.

The FCC's supplemental coverage from space framework draft order would see the service operate in select spectrum bands and on a secondary rather than a co-primary basis. The agency on Thursday released agenda items for commissioners' March 14 open meeting. A vote on the framework is expected that day. Also on the agenda are orders for "all-in" pricing disclosures by multichannel video distributors and launch of a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program, initially focused on wireless consumer IoT “products." In addition, Commissioners will vote on a report raising the FCC's broadband speed benchmark to 100/20 Mbps and an NPRM proposing creation of an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered adults.

Emerging commercial space applications that fall outside existing regulatory regimes are driving the need for clarity about what agency is responsible for what, House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin said Wednesday. Speaking at the annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, the Texas Republican was critical of the White House's proposed novel space activities authorization framework. Instead, he talked up his Commercial Space Act. In addition, multiple space regulators from other nations spoke about needing a more-uniform launch regulatory regime that would clear the path to reciprocal launch licenses.

Proposed FCC supplemental coverage from space (SCS) rules include a requirement that terrestrial providers must route SCS 911 calls to a public safety answering point using location-based routing or an emergency call center, the agency said Wednesday. Commissioners are expected to vote on the rules during their open meeting on March 14. Announcing the agenda for next month's meeting, the FCC also said there would be draft rules for "all-in" video pricing and a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for wireless IoT devices. In addition, the meeting will see commissioners voting on an NPRM about creating an emergency alert system code for missing and endangered people (see 2402210066).

Expect a lengthy fight among satellite operators over equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits at the FCC and during preparations for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), satellite experts and insiders tell us. Some see the issue emerging at ITU Working Party 4A meetings in May -- 4A is concerned with satellite spectrum efficiency and interference. Non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) advocates of an EPFD change face a challenging road getting EPFD rules changes made at WRC-27, though changes are possible, we're told.