The FCC could soon look at strengthening broadcast affiliate stations’ right to preempt network programming, Chairman Brendan Carr told a group of reporters outside an NTCA event Tuesday. In a press conference the same day, President Donald Trump suggested that Carr should take action against ABC.

The U.S. Supreme Court appears more likely than not to grant cert to Verizon in its challenge of a September decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upholding a $46.9 million fine against the carrier for violating FCC data rules (see 2509100019), experts said. They also agreed that SCOTUS is often difficult to predict. In August, the D.C. Circuit upheld a similar fine against T-Mobile (see 2508150044), while the 5th Circuit earlier rejected a fine imposed on AT&T (see 2504180001).

The House Communications Subcommittee plans a markup session Tuesday on a set of 28 largely GOP-led broadband permitting bills, the Commerce Committee said Friday night. House Communications members traded partisan barbs during a September hearing on the measures, with Democrats saying that most of them were unlikely to be effective in speeding up connectivity buildout (see 2509180069). Tuesday's meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

Sinclair has purchased an 8.2% stake in E.W. Scripps as part of an effort to buy the entire company, Sinclair told the SEC in a filing Monday.

ORLANDO -- This year has already seen multiple blockbuster mergers and acquisitions in telecom, and the relatively modest levels of BEAD-related consolidation should start to heat up in 2026, said Jonathan Adelstein, TWN Communications' chief strategy and external affairs officer, at the annual Broadband Nation Expo on Monday. Pointing to such activity as Verizon/Frontier, AT&T/Lumen and regional deals, the former Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO said mobile network operators are interested in fiber. The state of BEAD had been unclear going into 2025, but now the rules seem set, and BEAD activity is picking up, he added.

FCC commissioners are expected to approve an NPRM Thursday to seek comment on rules for an upper C-band auction, most likely with a few tweaks from the draft notice that Chairman Brendan Carr circulated (see 2510290047), industry officials said Monday. The FCC has heard from various parties asking for questions to be added.

The FCC received mostly support for a proposal to allow correctional facilities to jam cell signals, with an eye on curbing contraband phones, according to comments filed during the federal government shutdown. Wireless carriers have long opposed jamming but haven't filed comments. The FCC unanimously approved a further NPRM in September, with Commissioner Anna Gomez calling on the agency to move cautiously as it revisits the issue (see 2509300063).

Telecommunications relay service (TRS) companies and consumer groups are mainly supportive of the FCC’s TRS NPRM, and industry attorneys told us it's expected to receive unanimous approval at the agency’s Nov. 20 open meeting. However, consumer groups told us that any rulemaking stemming from the proceeding needs to take legacy users of analog TRS into account.

Numerous chambers of commerce and free-market advocacy groups have lined up at the FCC behind Charter Communications' proposed purchase of Cox Communications. The $34.5 billion deal was announced in May (see 2505160060). Submissions in docket 25-233 last week filed during the federal government shutdown saw numerous backers arguing for quick FCC approval. Ziply Fiber sought conditions.

For wireless carriers today, the move to 5G stand-alone service is a critical next step, said Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence, during a Mobile World Live virtual conference Thursday. Questions remain about what happens as carriers move from 5G to 5G advanced and 6G and whether that can be done as “an evolution” and not a “big bang” change that will “saddle” operators with huge costs to upgrade their networks, he said.