The costs of complying with the FCC’s updated data breach notification rule “detract from the core work” of five trade associations' small-business members “to connect existing and new customers in hard-to-serve areas and close the digital divide,” said those trade groups in an amicus brief Wednesday in the 6th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court. Joining the brief were ACA Connects, the Competitive Carriers Association, NTCA, the Wireless ISP Association and WTA.

Any spectrum allocation for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) operations won't happen without a fight. Numerous space operators and other spectrum interests pushed back in docket 22-271 reply comments this week against any ISAM-specific spectrum allocation. Space operators also disagreed on how far the FCC's authority reaches when it comes to ISAM regulations that don't deal with radiofrequency issues. The FCC's authority was also questioned in initial comments in the ISAM licensing NPRM (see 2404290039).

T-Mobile’s proposed acquisition of UScellular’s wireless operations, including about 30% of its spectrum, has already seen opposition (see 2405280047), with more expected. In addition, the deal will likely face heavy scrutiny from DOJ and the FCC, industry experts agree. Handicapping whether the transaction will receive approval is difficult, especially headed into a presidential election in November, industry officials say. Some of the 21 states where UScellular has a presence could play at least limited roles reviewing the deal, state and other officials said. T-Mobile’s buy of Mint and other assets from Ka’ena, a smaller deal that didn’t involve spectrum, took regulators more than a year to approve.

Coastal TV is being forced to broadcast with a low-power transmitter that lacks sufficient power to cover its broadcast area due to a contract dispute with Mississippi TV, alleged a May 1 fraud complaint (docket 1:24-cv-00100), removed Tuesday from the Circuit Court of Lee County, Mississippi, to U.S. District Court for Northern Mississippi in Aberdeen.

Broadband access, equity and deployment program funding is flowing more slowly than expected and likely won’t start in mid-2025 as originally expected, Diana Eisner, USTelecom vice president-policy and advocacy, said during a Georgetown University Center for Business and Public Policy webcast Wednesday. Most of the money will start to flow in mid-2026 or later, she predicted. It could even be the second half of 2026, she said.

Satellite-delivered consumer broadband is increasingly concentrating in low earth orbit (LEO), with SpaceX's growth expected to start facing competition from Amazon's Kuiper within months, satellite industry experts tell us. Geostationary orbit (GSO) providers continue losing residential broadband subscribers, though EchoStar says it sees a slower decline. Viasat has begun redirecting residential broadband spectrum capacity to other uses.

The U.S. is reaching an inflection point where some bands will be available only for sharing, said Derek Khlopin, deputy associate administrator-spectrum planning and policy in the NTIA Office of Spectrum Management. During an RCR Wireless private networks forum Tuesday, Khlopin said the national spectrum strategy discusses spectrum dynamic sharing many times, and that’s not a surprise. Khlopin, who is coordinating NTIA’s work on the strategy (see 2405060051), said, “I don’t think we really have a choice."

T-Mobile will buy “substantially all” of UScellular’s wireless operations in a deal valued at about $4.4 billion, including $2 billion in assumed debt, the companies said Tuesday. The transaction includes about 30% of UScellular spectrum and all the company’s wireless customers and stores. UScellular will remain a tower business. Both companies agreed to a $60 million breakup fee if they back out of the deal. T-Mobile said the transaction is likely to close in mid-2025.

Despite expectations that the affordable connectivity program (ACP) will run dry in days, telecom companies continued arguing in comments last week that the California Public Utilities Commission should take its time forming its response. However, while larger ISPs slammed consumer advocates' proposal, small local exchange carriers said they would work with the advocates on a compromise that quickly expands California LifeLine support to broadband.

Advocates for survivors of domestic violence, CTIA and the automotive industry welcomed an FCC initiative assisting survivors in accessing safe and affordable connected car services (see 2404230021). CTIA supported the proposed rules and told the FCC that wireless providers are "working towards timely and successful implementation" of the Safe Connections Act. Filings were posted through Friday in docket 22-238.