FCC commissioners approved 5-0 an order rejecting Huawei’s application for review of a June 30 Public Safety Bureau order designating it as a covered company barred from participating in the USF. Commissioners also agreed to move forward on a proceeding revoking China Telecom America's U.S. authorizations for international telecom services following a recommendation by executive branch agencies, led by DOJ. “Network security is national security,” said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks.

Facebook faces antitrust lawsuits from 40-plus states with attorneys general of both parties along with the FTC for allegedly illegal, anticompetitive behavior in the social media market. While the agency's chairman signed onto the litigation, fellow FTC GOP members Noah Phillips and Christine Wilson voted no. Chairman Joseph Simons joined the agency's two Democrats voting yes.

The Senate voted 49-46 Tuesday afternoon to confirm Nathan Simington as an FCC commissioner. The vote was along party lines, as expected. His confirmation followed a largely muted Senate floor debate.

Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said his departure from the FCC “looks to be on track for some point next week,” in a goodbye email with an accompanying video message sent to FCC staff Friday. O’Rielly said his “FCC end date is soon approaching in the days or weeks ahead.” His office said O’Rielly intends to serve the rest of his term. Under the law governing FCC terms of office, a commissioner’s service doesn’t end until the individual's term has expired or a replacement takes the oath of office, an FCC spokesman confirmed.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai plans to leave the commission Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, the Republican announced Monday. Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as president that day.

SNR Wireless and Northstar Wireless remain under de facto Dish Network control and thus aren't eligible for $3.3 billion in designated entity bidding credits they sought for licenses they won in the AWS-3 auction, the full FCC said in an order Monday. This arose from issues remanded from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2017 after it upheld FCC denial of the auction bidding credits but gave the DEs a chance to negotiate a solution to the Dish control.

5G security is the major focus of the FCC’s Dec. 10 meeting, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged. Pai didn’t propose an expected order further liberalizing rules for Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band, which had looked more in doubt in recent days (see our report here).

The FCC Wireline Bureau set the Lifeline monthly minimum service standard for broadband at 4.5 GB on delegated authority, after a circulated order that would have done similar didn’t get enough commissioner votes, said an order released Monday. Without FCC action, the MSS would have increased from the current 3 GB to 11.75 Dec. 1, but with the order the 4.5 GB MSS will take effect on that date. The order partially grants a petition for a waiver from the National Lifeline Association, which sought to freeze the MSS at 3 GB.

John Williams, senior counselor at the House Judiciary Committee, leads the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris presidential transition’s FCC review team. Former Commissioner Mignon Clyburn is on the team, as is DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith, a former FCC and NTIA staffer. Rounding out the team is Paul de Sa, former FCC official and analyst, now at Quadra Partners. The FCC was one of the agencies left out last week when other teams were named.

The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris presidential transition team named members of transition teams through the government. They included volunteers at some agencies, such as the FTC, and departments including Commerce and Justice. An FCC team wasn't listed but one may be forthcoming (see here).