The FCC expects to recharter its Technological Advisory Council soon, and is asking for nominations for membership by Sept. 22. TAC, considered among the most important FCC Federal Advisory Committee Act committees, had its final meeting last week (see 2308170057). “It is anticipated that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will ask the TAC to evaluate several issues, including: continued efforts at looking beyond 5G advanced as 6G begins to develop so as to facilitate U.S. leadership; studying advanced spectrum sharing techniques, including the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the utilization and administration of spectrum; and other emerging technologies,” said a Thursday notice. The last TAC focused on the move to 6G.

Intelsat, SES, Hispasat, Eutelsat and Ovzon repeated their call for a delay in the reply comments deadline for lower and upper 12 GHz band proceedings (see 2308070054). In docket 20-443 posted Thursday, they said a 30-day delay, with a new deadline of Oct. 10, would give them time to prepare a technical study responding to technical arguments raised in initial comments.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada approved Qualcomm as that nation’s first 6 GHz automated frequency coordination system operator, taking that step ahead of the U.S. The FCC last year provisionally approved 13 companies to be AFC operators, but all are still awaiting final approval (see 2211030066). Qualcomm applied to be an AFC operator in Canada in December and was approved Monday. Applications by Comsearch, Federated Wireless and Wi-Fi Alliance Services are under review by the Canadian regulator. Qualcomm was one of the companies provisionally approved by the FCC. The FCC didn't comment Wednesday.

NTIA on Tuesday proposed a limited and targeted waiver of its Build America, Buy America requirement for the broadband, equity, access and deployment program (see 2303140055). The proposed waiver would "ensure that close to 90% of BEAD funding spent on equipment will be spent on equipment manufactured in the United States." It would apply to equipment including "optical fiber, fiber optic cable, key electronics, and enclosures." The agency also proposed a "limited nonavailability waiver" for certain equipment. "After final publication, NTIA will continue to monitor implementation to ensure that we’re creating jobs here at home and delivering affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service to all Americans," it said. The agency wants comments within 30 days to BABA@ntia.gov.

The FCC activated the disaster information reporting system for seven counties in California for Tropical Storm Hilary, said a public notice Sunday. Reports were due starting Monday. The alert includes Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The agency also issued public notices on emergency contact procedures for licensees that need special temporary authority, priority communications services and on 24-hour availability of FCC staff. The Public Safety Bureau sent a reminder to entities working to clear debris and repair utilities to avoid damaging communications infrastructure.

The FCC has deployed staff to Hawaii “assessing the impact on communications services and infrastructure to help local, state, and federal authorities to identify how to best support restoration and emergency response,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a release Friday listing the agency’s work on the Maui wildfires. “Having worked for Senator Inouye, I experienced firsthand the kindness and collective spirit of Aloha that guides the people who call Hawai’i home,” said Rosenworcel in the release, referring to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. Seventeen of 21 cellsites in the affected area have been restored, and the number of cable and wireline subscribers out of service is down to 14,494, from a height of around 25,000 during the fires. The agency has been using High Frequency Direction Finding scans to determine the operational status of AM stations carrying public safety information, assisting carriers with logistics and state processes to expedite communications restoration, and working with officials on the ground to determine priority needs, the release said. “We will continue to work closely with local, state, and federal partners as families and residents all over the island begin to rebuild and recover from these devastating wildfires,” said Rosenworcel.

Dish Network filed an agreement at the FCC Wednesday to buy 800 MHz spectrum licenses from T-Mobile. Dish also asked a federal court in D.C. to delay the terms of the deal, allowing the purchase to slip until next summer, giving it more time to put together funding, Dish confirmed Thursday. "DISH and T-Mobile jointly filed an application seeking authority from the FCC to transfer the 800 MHz licenses to DISH," a Dish spokesperson emailed: "To give DISH more time to responsibly finance the purchase of this spectrum, DISH also filed a motion in the District Court for the District of Columbia today to modify the Final Judgment to extend the timeline for the actual divestiture until June 30, 2024." The spectrum was part of a complicated set of arrangements allowing T-Mobile to complete its buy of Sprint. Dish was required to pay $3.6 billion to buy the licenses, with a $72 million fee for walking away from the deal (see 1907260071). “Grant of the Application will further important public interest benefits well-recognized by the Commission,” told the FCC. “In its order approving the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, the Commission explicitly recognized the benefits of DISH entering the market as the fourth nationwide, facilities-based provider deploying a 5G network. … The terms of the Final Judgment are designed to facilitate DISH’s entry into the wireless market as a facilities-based provider and grant of the instant Application would further this important objective and enhance competition in the mobile wireless marketplace by making DISH a stronger competitor in the offering of mobile voice and broadband services.” The filing was made through Dish subsidiary American H Block Wireless Holding. Dish had until Aug. 11 before T-Mobile would terminate the offer, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said on an earnings call last month (see 2307270064). “We’re in discussions with Dish about whether or not there might be a win-win that’s different from their initial privilege,” he said at the time.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a 2022 FCC decision revoking Pacific Networks’ and its subsidiary ComNet’s authority to offer domestic or international services in the U.S. (see 2203160031). The FCC “revoked these authorizations based on concerns that the carriers posed national-security risks and had proven themselves untrustworthy,” said a Tuesday decision written by Judge Gregory Katsas, in docket 22-1054. “The carriers argue that the FCC’s reasoning was substantively arbitrary and was rendered with inadequate process,” he said: “We reject both contentions.” The U.S. “has grown increasingly concerned about espionage and other threats from Chinese-owned telecommunications companies,” Katsas wrote. He noted Team Telecom weighed in after the FCC ordered Pacific Networks and ComNet to show cause in 2020 why their authorizations shouldn’t be revoked, saying “China’s Ownership” of the companies “raised ‘significant concerns’ that the carriers would be ‘forced to comply with Chinese government requests, including requests for communications intercepts.’” The carriers contend the FCC “unreasonably found a threat to national security,” Katsas said. “But the Commission meticulously explained -- over the span of 62 pages -- how the carriers’ domestic operations threaten national security,” he said. “We cannot second-guess the FCC’s judgment that allowing China to access this information poses a threat to national security,” the court said. The FCC “adequately explained its decision to revoke Pacific Networks’ and ComNet’s authorizations, and it afforded adequate process to the carriers,” Katsas wrote: “We therefore deny the petition for review.” Circuit Judges Harry Edwards and Karen Henderson joined the decision. The judges were on the same panel that upheld the FCC's revocation of China Telecom Americas’ domestic and international authorities last year (see 2111150025).

Adtran will invest about $5 million in its Alabama factory to expand its manufacturing of key electronics equipment used for high-speed internet networks, the company said Wednesday. The announcement comes as part of the Biden administration's "Investing in America" effort and will create up to 300 new jobs. Also Wednesday, NTIA said it plans to release a draft of its build America, buy America (BABA) requirements for its broadband, equity, access and deployment program "later this summer." Adtran said it will expand its existing domestic manufacturing capacity for optical line terminal systems and onshore production of optical network terminals from Southeast Asia. The BEAD program "really opens up an avenue for us to be able to increase our manufacturing throughput, ultimately lower cost, get to kind of an equal footing, and be able to manufacture here in the U.S.," said Adtran CEO Tom Stanton. "Everyone has to have access if we're going to succeed," said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. The BEAD program is a "jobs and infrastructure program," Davidson said: "If it can be made in America, then it should be made in America." Wednesday's announcement is "another great step forward in preparing the fiber access equipment supply chain to be NTIA BEAD compliant," emailed Fiber Broadband Association Gary Bolton. Adtran's investment will "ensure that BEAD recipients can procure the fiber access gear they need for the BEAD fiber network deployment, while meeting the BABA requirements," Bolton said.

T-Mobile asked the FCC for special temporary authority to use the 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses it won in a 2020 auction in Maui, Hawaii, as the island starts its recovery from a devastating wildfire. The carrier has failed to get the FCC to allow use of all the licenses through STAs while the agency waits for Congress to reauthorize its auction authority (see 2307070042). The STA application “may be granted without being listed in a Public Notice because the requested authority is necessary to address extraordinary circumstances requiring operation in the public interest and delay in the institution of such service would seriously prejudice the public interest,” T-Mobile said Tuesday. “The requested STA will permit T-Mobile to deploy up to 190 MHz of contiguous spectrum on” Maui, “using Channels 1 and 2 to increase capacity for mobile and fixed home internet on the island, including the ability to support mobile hotspots devices as part of relief efforts,” the carrier said, noting the STA will benefit more than 156,000 people, based on 2020 census data. As of Dec. 30, T-Mobile said it offered fixed internet to some 13,000 homes and business in Maui. “As the Commission is aware, the island of Maui has been devastated by raging wildfires that have resulted in the deaths of at least 99 people, complete destruction of the town of Lahaina, and damage or destruction to numerous other homes and businesses,” T-Mobile said.