Communications Workers of America slammed a final offer from AT&T late Wednesday as a strike continued into its third week (see 2409030025). More than 17,000 workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are on strike. “CWA members have seen and personally experienced the effects of prolonged outages and wait times for service and repairs,” said union President Claude Cummings. “It’s time for AT&T to engage in productive bargaining where it belongs -- at the bargaining table -- so we can get back to work serving our customers,” Cummings said. “We have made a strong final offer,” an AT&T spokesperson emailed: “We believe that this offer, if accepted, would provide our employees with competitive market-based pay that exceeds projected inflation. The Company is also offering to increase its financial contributions to employee healthcare and wellness by up to 25% per year.” The spokesperson said the terms of the offer “are largely in line with the 3 other competitive and fair agreements we’ve reached with our unions this year.”
Securus asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the FCC's August order on incarcerated people's communication services. In a petition filed last week (docket 24-60454), Securus said the FCC's denial of its clarification and waiver petitions on alternative payment plans was "arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act" (see 2408230012).
A bipartisan coalition of 51 mayors asked the FCC to abandon its proposed ban on bulk billing arrangements for broadband and cable services in multi-tenant environments (see 2407090049). In a letter posted Tuesday in docket 17-142, the mayors said that residents' rates "would rise significantly while service capabilities would be frozen in place" should the FCC continue with its proposal. Given the "clear benefits to consumers and the competitive marketplace, regulatory intervention would be detrimental," the letter said: "Bulk deals serve the public interest and directly benefit countless individuals within our communities." The FCC declined to comment. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended the proposal in a letter to lawmakers in June (see 2406280056).
The FCC Wireline Bureau said Wednesday the window opens Sept. 17 and closes Nov. 1 for filing FCC Form 484 applications to participate in the agency’s three-year, $200 million cybersecurity pilot program for schools and libraries. Commissioners approved the program 3-2 in June with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissenting (see 2406060043).
Nokia on Tuesday signed a multiyear agreement with AT&T to deploy next-generation fiber technology, said a Tuesday release. Under the agreement, Nokia will provide its Lightspan and Altiplano platforms to support AT&T’s fiber network. “The five-year deal will include fiber network upgrades to AT&T's current footprint and next-generation fiber technologies for future network expansions and is Build America, Buy America-compliant,” Nokia said. The agreement “sets the stage for the next wave of digital innovation, including Industry 4.0, smart cities, IoT applications and ultra-high-definition streaming,” said Chris Sambar, AT&T head of network.
The FCC has determined that cybersecurity and anti-virus software that Russia’s Kaspersky Lab produced or provided poses “an unacceptable risk to the national security” of the U.S. and should be on the agency’s covered list of unsafe products, a Tuesday notice said. Any gear “that integrates cybersecurity or anti-virus software produced or provided by Kaspersky, or any of its successors or assignees, is prohibited from obtaining an equipment authorization from the Commission,” said the notice by the Office of Engineering and Technology and Public Safety Bureau. Kaspersky was initially added to the list in 2022 (see 2203270001).
The telecom industry heads into fall with numerous tailwinds, from the first states starting their broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program application processes to expected interest rate cuts, consultant Terry Chevalier blogged Thursday on LinkedIn. But industry activity could face election-related headwinds, he said. For example, he doesn't expect much progress in crafting next fiscal year's budget in the coming months due to this fiscal year ending with a lame-duck presidency and Congress. Similarly, he anticipates a slowdown in new executive branch agency activities and initiatives until the next administration is in place. However, he said the latest round of Agriculture's ReConnect awards is still likely to be announced by year's end, as well as NTIA's second-round Innovation Award funds. But don't expect activity on the Affordable Connectivity Program or FCC spectrum auction authority in the near future, he said.
The FCC Wireline Bureau dismissed on procedural grounds and rejected Starlink's waiver request regarding its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund application in an order Friday in docket 19-126 (see 2402270083). The bureau said Starlink "did not demonstrate that it was eligible to receive RDOF support" and its petition "does not provide any new information or evidence of changed circumstances that rebut our previous determinations." The bureau also said the petition was "untimely" because requests for reconsideration must be filed within 30 days of a rule being published in the Federal Register. The bureau noted Starlink's petition was filed four years after the final RDOF rules were published.
The proposed factor for the North American Numbering Plan Administration Fund size for FY25 will be $8.64 million with a contribution factor of 0.0000896, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 92-237 (see 2308100068). The proposed decrease in the contribution factor is due to the "higher surplus carried over from the prior year," the bureau said.
Verizon is teaming with Skylo on direct-to-device service using mobile satellite spectrum, the carrier said Wednesday. The Skylo arrangement comes atop Verizon's D2D partnership with AST SpaceMobile (see 2405290003). Verizon is "hedg[ing] its bets," satellite and spectrum consultant Tim Farrar posted on X. Verizon said that certain smartphones would have emergency messaging and location sharing capabilities outside terrestrial network coverage starting this fall. It said texting would be available on select devices starting in 2025.