Jenner & Block elects lawyers to the partnership, including Jacob Tracer, member of Content, Media and Entertainment Practice focusing on "intellectual property and complex commercial disputes," and Camillie Landron, member of Communications, Internet and Technology Practice, working on FCC spectrum and other telecom issues and with the "space and satellite industries."
Low-power TV broadcasters want the FCC to make it easier to switch channels and move markets, and have received indications the agency could show more flexibility toward their service in 2022, said LPTV groups, attorneys and broadcasters in interviews. “The best thing would be to have another LPTV window,” said Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance Executive Director Lee Miller. “I believe that is something the FCC would like to see happen further down the road.”
Government agencies and law firms, like other institutions, appear to be still coming to terms with the new, more infectious COVID-19 omicron variant and what it will mean for work headed into the new year. State commissions so far report few changes.
Interactive Advertising Bureau hires Lartease Tiffith, ex-Amazon, as executive vice president-public policy, "on the heels of news that the Internet Association is dissolving at the end of the year" (see our recent report on IA); IAB also adds Brendan Thomas, ex-Plastics Industry Association, as vice president-public policy communications ... Aimee Meacham, who recently left NTIA (see this section, Dec. 8 issue of this publication), says she's going to BT as vice president-government affairs, U.S. and international.
Winners in the 3.45 GHz auction should be clear by Dec. 31, New Street’s Philip Burnett told investors Wednesday. The first phase ended Tuesday (see 2111160071). The assignment phase is likely to be over in one or two weeks once it starts, he said. AT&T likely spent as much as $9 billion, T-Mobile $8 billion and Dish Network $4 billion-$6 billion, he said: “There is a slim chance that T-Mobile got nothing and Verizon is the [complement], but that would be a big surprise.” NTIA tweeted Wednesday: “The results indicate confidence in the sharing framework for the band, developed by @FCC, @DeptofDefense, and NTIA.” Bidders “have reaffirmed how important it is for the U.S. communications industry to gain access to additional spectrum" for 5G, emailed Wiley’s Richard Engelman: “Bidders demanded 3.45 GHz blocks in every Partial Economic Area and at prices that approached -- or in some cases exceeded -- the prices paid earlier this year” in the C band auction. The level of bidding in the C band and 3.45 GHz auctions “demonstrates the demand for operators to gain spectrum that can help them deliver high-bandwidth, high-capacity connectivity in dense areas -- even if it costs them,” emailed Ronny Haraldsvik, Cohere Technologies chief marketing officer: “Carriers in the US now need to find the best way to leverage this hefty investment. Through the use of software, carriers can do a lot more with their existing and new spectrum assets, effectively doubling the capacity of the spectrum.” The 5Gfor12GHz Coalition said now that the auction is nearly complete, the FCC should take up the 12 GHz band, which offers five times as much spectrum: “This is an important accomplishment but will not satisfy the urgent need for more spectrum. 12 GHz is the only remaining unencumbered 5G spectrum between 6 and 24 GHz that can meet the exploding demand for mobile broadband.”
Wiley promotes Jennifer Hindin to co-chair, Telecom, Media and Technology Practice, along with existing co-Chair Kathleen Kirby; Hindin succeeds David Gross, who remains an active partner in the practice ... Association of National Advertisers Group Executive Vice President Dan Jaffe, who has led ANA’s Government Relations office in Washington for 36 years, retires at year-end and is succeeded by Senior Vice President Christopher Oswald, who ascends to executive vice president in January ... Glen Echo Group adds Andrea O'Neal, ex-National Geographic Society, as a director and Joey Battley, ex-MSB Analytics, and Katelin Murray, who was a fellow at the firm, as associates.
On Track Innovations promotes Amir Eilam to CEO, succeeding Yehuda Holtzman, who previously notified the near-field communication solutions provider of his resignation for personal reasons; Eilam continues as vice president-R&D until there's a replacement ... Velodyne Lidar taps Eta Compute’s Theodore Tewksbury, also ex-Entropic Communications, as CEO ... WWE names board member Frank Riddick CFO and chief administrative officer, succeeding current CFO Kristina Salen, departing the company.
The chair of the FCC’s new Communications Equity and Diversity Council will be Heather Gate, formerly vice chair of council predecessor the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Inclusion, said a release Wednesday. Gate is Connected Nation vice president-digital inclusion. The ACDDE’s former chair, Wiley Rein partner Anna Gomez, was designated chair emeritus, and will continue to serve on the CEDC. The CEDC’s new vice chairs will also be ACDDE veterans -- Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Nicol Turner Lee and Susan Au Allen, U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation CEO. Turner Lee was chair of the ACDDE’s Diversity in the Tech Sector Working Group, and Allen was on the ACDDE’s Digital Empowerment and Inclusion WG. The council’s first meeting is Nov. 3, and the rest of the group’s membership “will be announced at a later date,” along with the composition of the council’s new WGs: Innovation and Access, Digital Empowerment and Inclusion, and Diversity and Equity.
Unless President Joe Biden makes nominations soon and the Senate acts (see 2110080043), in just three months the once nearly unthinkable could happen -- a 2-1 majority-GOP FCC with Geoffrey Starks the acting chairman and sole Democrat. Industry observers said if that happens it will probably mean a continuation of the current FCC under acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Starks will set the agenda but can seek votes only on items where there's Republican buy-in. Contentious issues like rewriting net neutrality rules would be pushed to a time when Democrats have a majority. Rosenworcel and Starks didn't comment.
Ohio should be firm but fair with businesses on privacy, Republican sponsors of a comprehensive state bill said Tuesday. Ohio House Government Oversight Committee members questioned sponsors but didn’t vote at HB-376’s first hearing. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R) unveiled the bill in July that would apply to businesses with at least $25 million revenue in the state (see 2107130049). Consumer Reports (CR) raised concerns the bill won’t adequately protect users. Minnesota also weighed privacy legislation this week.