States' hopes to use BEAD funds not spent on last-mile deployment for other connectivity-related needs seem likely to go unfulfilled, as broadband policy experts expect the Commerce Department will likely claw back much if not all the money not spent on deployment. "It's hard to be hopeful" that non-deployment funds will be made available to states, said Drew Garner, director of policy engagement, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.
The U.S. Supreme Court seems likely to reverse the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision against Cox Communications regarding music piracy by its broadband subscribers, a copyright expert told us Monday. Cox is challenging the 4th Circuit's ruling, which upheld a lower court's contributory copyright infringement finding against the ISP (see 2408160034).
A legislative proposal to eliminate the ConnectMaine Authority (CMA) saw both support and criticism in a hearing Thursday of the state's Joint Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. LD-1975, introduced in May, would disband the agency -- the predecessor to the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the state's broadband office -- by repealing the Advanced Technology Infrastructure Act. "Maine does not need two broadband authorities in the long term," said Rep. Jack Ducharme (R), the bill's sponsor.
Comcast and Charter continue to be hammered with fiber and fixed-wireless access (FWA) competition in residential broadband, though their wireless businesses are still growing. Between fiber overbuilding and FWA, "in any market, when you have new competition ... there's going to be a short-term impact on us," Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said in a call with analysts Friday as the cable ISP announced Q3 results.
NTIA is unfairly emphasizing use of low earth orbit satellite connectivity in BEAD, sometimes in cases where LEO doesn't make sense, some state broadband officials said Thursday. Speaking at the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition's annual conference, Christine Hallquist, executive director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board, said many BEAD locations being awarded to LEO bids won't actually get service due to geographic issues like dense foliage and mountains. Hallquist said that of the state's roughly 15,000 BEAD locations, about 1,300 are being awarded to LEO.
Government speech coercion might be unconstitutional, but companies with business before the government aren't going to push back, panelists said Wednesday during a conference about online speech organized by the Center for Democracy & Technology and Stand Together. Free-speech advocates also criticized the FCC and FTC for increasingly weaponizing their regulatory powers.
The FCC would seek comments on options for the upper C band, including an auction of up to 180 MHz of it, in an NPRM to be voted on at the agency's Nov. 20 meeting. Congress has directed the FCC to auction at least 100 MHz of upper C band by July 2027. "We have no time to spare," agency Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday. "So it is now time to start making important decisions on how best to unleash new wireless services quickly in the band."
NTIA is making it explicitly clear to states that they can't impose rate regulation on BEAD projects, Administrator Arielle Roth said Tuesday. In a Hudson Institute address, Roth said the agency is telling states that providers must be protected from rate regulation and state-level net neutrality rules during the BEAD period of performance. Without those protections, state broadband regulations "could create perverse incentives" that push providers to move resources from BEAD commitments to other areas, she said, which would in turn raise the likelihood of defaults.
With one of the FCC's largest monthly agendas in recent years -- nine items -- the commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved everything from a major revamp of the agency's satellite and earth station approvals process to a proposal to end simulcast requirements for the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard. But three items were adopted Tuesday over the dissents of minority Commissioner Anna Gomez. She said the broadband labels further NPRM was "one of the most anti-consumer items I have ever seen." She also dissented on the prison-calling order and NPRM (see 2510280045) and the wireless direct final rule.
Lynk Global's pending merger with Omnispace marks yet another direct-to-device (D2D) satellite operator dropping plans to rely on reusing terrestrial mobile spectrum and instead incorporating mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum. Space spectrum consultants and analysts told us it illustrates the challenges of a terrestrial-mobile-alone model. Lynk didn’t comment. Under the Lynk/Omnispace deal, announced last week (see 2510240004), the combined company will use Omnispace’s S-band spectrum for D2D service. That follows AST SpaceMobile's plans to use Ligado's L-band spectrum for its D2D service and SpaceX's proposed purchase of the rights to EchoStar's MSS spectrum.