Joshua Levine, manager for tech policy at the Foundation for American Innovation, said on X this week that the FCC’s announcement this week that drones and drone components have been added to the agency’s “covered list” (see 2512220036) is “big news that has long been rumored.” The FCC move “likely will have implications for future use of the Covered List against other firms tied to adversaries,” Levine wrote. The threat from Chinese drone maker DJI “has long been known,” he said.
The FCC continues to receive dozens of short filings on a daily basis opposing changes in a wireless infrastructure NPRM that commissioners approved at September's meeting (see 2511250075). The FCC has logged nearly 2,300 comments as of Wednesday in docket 25-276. Most list the commenter's name with no other identifying information.
The Consumer Technology Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association sought clarification of parts of the FCC’s October order further tightening its equipment authorization rules (see 2510280024). The order makes clear that “covered equipment includes modular transmitters” and prohibits such gear from authorization by companies on the FCC’s “covered list.” It also provides a process for limiting previously granted authorizations without restricting continued operation or use.
Representatives of the ioXt Alliance, an IoT security group, met with an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on the agency's cybersecurity labeling program, according to a filing last week in docket 23-239. The alliance, which is a conditionally approved cybersecurity label administrator, discussed “the challenges facing the program in light of implementation delays and opportunities for the program to further U.S. technology leadership, including through engagement in international labeling efforts.”
NCTA opposes a November petition for reconsideration by the California Public Utilities Commission asking the FCC to restore E-rate funding for mobile wireless hot spots off school or library premises, according to a filing posted Monday in docket 21-31. The main argument in the CPUC petition -- “that the Commission erred in concluding that off-premises use of services and equipment was not authorized -- relies on an unconvincing reading of a subsequent statutory provision that does nothing to counter the Commission’s well-reasoned decision,” NCTA said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Friday delayed by 15 days the comment and reply deadlines on an NPRM about rules for an upper C-band auction. The agency has been looking to move as quickly as possible on the notice, which commissioners approved 3-0 in November (see 2512040039). Comments are now due Jan. 20, replies Feb. 18. A brief extension will help commenters “develop more comprehensive responses to the complex technical, legal, and policy issues presented in the NPRM without jeopardizing the Commission’s ability” to complete an auction by July 2027, the bureau said.
CTIA CEO Ajit Pai on Friday hailed Ethan Klein’s confirmation as associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Senate voted 53-43 Thursday night to approve Klein as part of an en bloc nominations package. Klein “brings a deep understanding of technology policy, innovation, and the critical role of advanced technologies in driving economic growth and global competitiveness,” Pai said. “His leadership will be vital as America tackles 21st-century challenges, including strengthening our national security through innovation and securing U.S. leadership in emerging technologies like” AI.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association joined the drumbeat of commenters urging the FCC to move forward on the Safer Buildings Coalition's petition urging the FCC to launch a rulemaking on guidelines for getting consent from licensees to install signal boosters (see 2512180063).
The FirstNet Authority said Friday that it directed AT&T to deploy more than 135 additional purpose-built cellsites as part of FirstNet. The sites “will add more coverage to the initial FirstNet nationwide buildout, completed in 2023, and to the 1,000 sites launched in 2024 and 2025,” the authority said. They will offer Band 14 spectrum, set aside for FirstNet, and be funded through the authority’s strategic investment program. “Today’s announcement underscores FirstNet’s responsibility to deliver nationwide coverage and ensure first responders have the tools they need to save lives,” said NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth.
Representatives of the Association of American Railroads raised concerns about a proposed voluntary, negotiation-based process to transition 10 MHz in the 900 MHz band to broadband, with 5/5 MHz channels, in meetings with aides to Chairman Brendan Carr and Wireless Bureau staff. Questions about what the FCC will do with the band have impaired “planning and investment” in railroad communications, said a filing Friday in docket 24-99.