ITS America is pushing the FCC to drop plans to change how the 5.9 GHz band is allocated, as a working group released a plan Wednesday on how industry can use the 30 GHz still allocated to intelligent transportation systems, officials said during a webinar Wednesday. They cautioned that the 30 MHz will be usable only if it is protected from Wi-Fi in the other 45 MHz of the band and said some technologies are no longer viable.
Expect increased agency oversight and a concerted effort to update antitrust laws in 2021, said Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Wednesday at a Public Knowledge virtual event. Facebook Oversight Board Member Jamal Greene said to expect the board’s first content moderation decisions “within days,” on a panel at the State of the Net (SoTN) virtual conference.
Verizon had mixed results, as the first major carrier to report Q4 Tuesday. One overhang, analysts said, is how much Verizon spent in the FCC C-band auction. Executives couldn’t comment during the FCC quiet period. They expect the TracFone buy to close in the second half of the year. The stock closed 3.2% lower Tuesday at $56.57. AT&T reports Wednesday morning.
Providers, regulators and advocacy groups urged the FCC to establish broad eligibility criteria for its $3.2 billion emergency broadband fund and begin the program as soon as possible (see 2101070052). Several suggested relying on Lifeline rules. Some urged working with other federal agencies on data-sharing agreements to ensure all eligible households can enroll. Comments were due Monday.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is circulating online content-related legislation for potentially addressing civil rights violations in housing markets, Fordham University law professor Olivier Sylvain said Tuesday at the State of the Net conference. Hirono has been in discussions with Virginia Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine about Communications Decency Act Section 230 (see 1908060064). Her office didn’t comment about a potential bill.
The Commerce Department and NTIA during President Joe Biden’s administration will strive to end interagency spectrum infighting that became endemic in recent years, Commerce Secretary nominee Gina Raimondo told the Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday. She said during her confirmation hearing NTIA should play a role in other matters, including broadband funding.
On his way out of the White House, former President Donald Trump released current and former members of his administration from their ethics pledge. He rescinded last week an executive order barring them for five years from lobbying the agency where they previously worked. Experts said in interviews this week the change means some former officials face fewer restrictions as they look for work. They still face a two-year restriction under federal law.
T-Mobile had the best 5G download speed among U.S. carriers, a first, in an Opensignal report. T-Mobile users had average 5G download speeds of 58.1 Mbps, ahead of AT&T at 53.8 Mbps and Verizon at 47.4 Mbps, said the report covering Sept. 16-Dec. 14. Opensignal collected 15 billion measurements from 2.2 million devices.
If the Supreme Court rules against the FCC in Prometheus IV or “punts” without making a clear decision, the agency will be left in a “morass” that could take another decade to address, said former Commissioner Mike O’Rielly on a Federalist Society virtual panel Monday: “If that’s what the Supreme Court comes up with, we’re stuck.” The FCC majority pinned its hopes on SCOTUS from the beginning, and the agency went into the litigation “looking past the 3rd Circuit,” he said: “I didn’t much care what the 3rd Circuit’s opinion was.”
Native American tribes are seeking more cooperation from the FCC and other federal agencies to expand broadband access. With the new Biden administration, tribal leaders and advocacy groups said in recent interviews that they're optimistic for better intergovernmental coordination.