Paramount Skydance's arguments that its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery faces a less fraught regulatory approval process is generally sound, but that doesn't mean a Paramount/WBD deal would be smooth sailing before DOJ and the FTC, competition lawyers and experts told us. In a letter to WBD shareholders last week, Paramount said its bid for WBD would have a shorter and more certain regulatory approval path than Netflix's rival offer (see 2512100001).

The National Emergency Number Association and other stakeholders appeared unconcerned ahead of Tuesday's House Communications Subcommittee hearing (see 2512100055) that a refiled version of the Next Generation 911 Act (HR-6505) doesn’t include a defined amount of proposed funding for NG911 tech upgrades. NENA CEO John Provenzano praised HR-6505 in an interview, as do several scheduled hearing witnesses in their written testimony. The bill would set up a NG911 grants program within NTIA to disburse money for fiscal years 2026-30. The hearing will begin at 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

The Center for American Rights kicked off an online campaign Monday supporting the elimination of the broadcast TV ownership cap and targeting the Senate Commerce Committee's FCC oversight hearing Wednesday. In an interview, CAR President Daniel Suhr told us he bases the group’s FCC filings on President Donald Trump’s social media posts and public comments. He added that CAR’s focus on media resonates with conservatives and has raised its profile, increasing donations to the organization.

The U.S. government, CTIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce agreed in filings at the U.S. Supreme Court that justices should resolve a circuit split over whether the FCC properly handed down fines against AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile for violating the agency's data privacy rules. AT&T, which won its case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, had also urged SCOTUS to resolve the split (see 2512050055). Briefs were filed last week in docket 25-567.

The FCC should reject NextNav’s petition on reconfiguring the lower 900 MHz band for 5G-based 3D positioning, navigation and timing operations, said numerous trade groups in filings last week (docket 24-240).

President Donald Trump signed off Thursday night on an executive order that directs NTIA to potentially curtail non-deployment funding from the $42.5 billion BEAD program for states that the Trump administration determines have overly burdensome AI laws (see 2512110068). The order is identical to a draft proposal that circulated in November (see 2511190069). Democratic lawmakers and BEAD supporters quickly disparaged Trump’s directive, which already faced potentially multiple legal challenges because it would preempt many state-level AI regulations.

Fifty-four percent of the world’s population is covered by 5G, while 93% enjoys at least 4G coverage, GSMA said Thursday as it discussed its 2025 mobile connectivity report. Separately, 5G Americas and Omdia said 5G connections globally are 2.8 billion, with penetration in the U.S. topping 99%.

Broadcast licensees want the FCC to rebalance the network-affiliate relationship by regulating the contracts stations reach with networks, while the networks don’t believe an imbalance exists or that the FCC has authority over their affiliation agreements, according to comments filed by Wednesday’s deadline in docket 25-322. Stations called for the agency to delve into virtual MVPD negotiations, apply restrictions to network-affiliate contracts, and cap network fees, but the big four networks said the FCC injecting itself here could kill broadcasting. Agency intervention “has the potential to severely disrupt the broadcasting ecosystem, threatening the continued survival of broadcasters facing a thinning market,” said NBCUniversal. “The market is working, and the government should not interfere.”

Communications Daily is tracking the lawsuits below involving appeals of FCC actions.

An array of educational policy experts and parents lambasted what they see as an overly heavy reliance on technology in classrooms on Wednesday during an NTIA listening session. Administrator Arielle Roth said earlier this month that a focus of the agency is looking at issues related to excessive screen use in educational settings (see 512020015). The FCC's E-rate program was also criticized by multiple speakers.