An order and NPRM addressing changes to the commission’s frequency allocation table in light of recent World Radiocommunication Conferences saw a number of changes over the draft, including apparent wins for Qualcomm. Commissioners approved the WRC order ahead of their Thursday open meeting (see 2304190042). It was released Friday. Among the tweaks, instead of saying the order takes “only administrative actions that do not affect the Commission’s rules with respect to any party’s underlying rights and responsibilities” the final version says the FCC is making “several non-substantive, editorial changes” to the allocation table. The NPRM adds language to a section seeking comment on satellite uplinks in the 7190-7250 MHz band. It now says, “Qualcomm urges the Commission to seek comment on whether such allocations would ‘remain in line with the Commission’s present spectrum priorities,’ noting that the Chairwoman has identified the 7-15 GHz spectrum range, and some stakeholders, other administrations, and regional organizations are considering the 7190-7250 MHz band, for the next generation wireless technology.” The NPRM notes the same concern raised by Qualcomm on the 9.2-9.3 and 9.9-10.4 GHz bands.

Law firms Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins topped the ranks of tech, media and telecom M&A advisers in Q1, GlobalData said Thursday. It said Kirkland & Ellis topped the rankings in value as it advised on deals totaling $18.1 billion while Latham & Watkins led in terms of volume by advising on 27 deals. Both the deal value and volume top numbers were down sharply from Q1 last year, when firms in the No. 1 spots had $93 billion and 84 deals, respectively.

United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Malaysia are the world's most-connected nations, when judging by a collection of metrics including average time online daily, average number of social platforms used, and fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions per capita, IP proxy services firm Proxyrack said Tuesday. It said the U.S. ranked 25th.

If an international Section 214 authorization holder has had an application to transfer control or assign the authorization in the past five years and ownership hasn't materially changed, the FCC should give a way to certify this, Incompas said in a docket 23-119 filing Friday. Doing so would lower the burden and costs for complying with the Section 214 draft order on the April agenda and ensure the agency knows where it has information it needs in its records for a 214 review, it said. Rather than require 10-year renewals or three-year information submissions from 214 authorization holders, the agency could look at getting information it needs from authorization holders that have national security agreements from the agencies that require them to keep up-to-date information about their ownership and operations, it said. The filing recapped meetings with aides to the three regular commissioners and with Office of International Affairs Chief Ethan Lucarelli.

The deadline for nominations for membership to the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee is being extended to May 12, the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said Thursday. The original deadline was April 7.

April 21 is the deadline for comments on the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee's proposed recommendations, the FCC Office of International Affairs said in a public notice in Thursday's Daily Digest. "We can generally support most" of the draft recommendation, OIA said.

Lowering reportable foreign-ownership interests from 10% to 5% would result in "significant real-world consequences that are contrary to the Commission's desire to encourage investments in telecommunications infrastructure" in the U.S., said DigitalBridge Group and Searchlight Capital Partners Thursday in docket 23-119. The investment companies said their limited partners and co-investors, especially sovereign wealth funds, treat their investments as highly confidential for competitive investment strategy reasons. They said there's no reason for the agency to change its rules because its disclosure threshold has no impact on the ability of national security agencies to continue doing their confidential reviews of foreign ownership at a 5% threshold, but it wouldn't promote national security to require public disclosure of passive limited partners and co-investors with insignificant equity interest and that lack any control of day-to-day operations of an FCC licensee.

The cost of residential phone service and of cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service increased faster than overall inflation in March, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index unadjusted data released Wednesday. Cost of internet service in the U.S. in March was up 3.9% year over year, it said. Residential phone service costs were up 6.8%, and wireless service costs were up 1.2%. Cable, satellite and livestreaming TV service costs were up 5.9%. January prices overall were up 5% year over year before seasonal adjustment, BLS said.

The FCC's International Bureau Filing System is now the International Communications Filing System, the FCC said, citing the order in Monday's Federal Register making official the International Bureau's reorganization. The order delegates authority to the Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs to make rule changes needed to rename IBFS to ICFS. The agency marked the creation of the Space Bureau and OIA Tuesday (see 2304110002).

The FCC's reorganization splitting the International Bureau into a Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs will be effective Monday, per a notice in the Federal Register. It said the bureau will consist of a Satellite Programs and Policy Division, Satellite Licensing Division and the Earth Station Licensing Division, and the Office of International Affairs will be made up of the International Bureau's existing Global Strategy and Negotiation Division and its Telecommunications and Analysis Division. The order also reorganizes parts of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) and Office of Managing Director, including relocating the Reference Information Center from CGB to OMD. The agency said it plans a kickoff event Tuesday marking the reorganization. The commission said the Office of Management and Budget and the necessary Congressional committees signed off on the reorg. The commissioners approved it in January (see 2301090062).